RSSDaily Back Pain and Adverse Effects in Elderly Women
August 23, 2007 — Daily back pain is associated with decreased quality of life, mobility, longevity, and increased risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) in elderly women, according to the results of a study reported in Spine.
“The consequences of back pain in elderly people have not been well studied, perhaps because its high frequency has resulted in the symptom being regarded as ‘normal’,” write Kun Zhu, PhD, from the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Nedlands, WA, Australia, and colleagues. “Because there has been no study that investigated the association between the frequency of back pain, a good index of the severity of back pain, and the risk of incident heart disease and mortality, the aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of self reported back pain frequency at baseline and 5 years later in a community based cohort of 1484 elderly Australian women and evaluate its long-term impact on the health of the individuals with this complaint.”
The investigators analyzed data from 1484 community-dwelling Australian women 70 to 85 years old who were enrolled in a 5-year randomized controlled trial of calcium intervention with observational cohort design.
“Daily back pain is associated with reduced quality of life, mobility and longevity and increased risk of coronary heart events,” the investigators write. “The adverse health effects of chronic back pain deserve greater recognition.”
“Management of back pain and health conditions related to back pain is likely to be important in the maintenance of functional independence and well-being of elderly women,” the study authors conclude.
The Healthway Health Promotion Foundation of Western Australia, the Australasian Menopause Society, and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia supported this study.
Spine. 2007;32:2012-2018.
