Overview

• About one in five adults reported chronic back pain, a prevalence comparable to higher-income countries.
• Compared with people without back pain, those reporting chronic back pain were 17% more likely to report cardiovascular disease, 15% more likely to report arthritis, and 12% more likely to report clinical depression.
• Diabetes, cancer, asthma and other lung diseases were also more common among respondents with chronic back pain.
• Combinations of back pain with other conditions were tied to greater activity limits, with back pain plus arthritis more than doubling the odds of serious daily restrictions.
• Researchers recommend integrated, interdisciplinary care that screens for coexisting conditions, noting shared risk factors such as physical inactivity, obesity, stress and poor sleep.