CHRONIC MULTIMORBIDITY OF LOW BACK PAIN OR OTHER CHRONIC BACK DISORDERS IN THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA
Jelena Marunica Karšaj1, Tomislav Benjak2, Larisa Stojanović3
1University Department of Rheumatology, Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Zagreb, Croatia.
Insights
Individuals with chronic back disorders (BD) experience significantly higher rates of chronic multimorbidity, defined as multiple chronic illnesses. This multimorbidity is linked to poorer health outcomes compared to those without back conditions.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Chronic Disease Management
Background:
- Chronic back disorders (BD) are prevalent and can impact overall health.
- Understanding the co-occurrence of multiple chronic conditions (multimorbidity) in BD patients is crucial for effective healthcare.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the prevalence of chronic multimorbidity in individuals with chronic back disorders.
- To investigate the association between chronic multimorbidity and health outcomes in the BD population.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional analysis of the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) data from Croatia (2014-2015).
- Prevalence of chronic multimorbidity (≥2 chronic illnesses) was calculated and adjusted for confounders.
- Comparison of multimorbidity rates and health outcomes between participants with and without BD.
Main Results:
- Participants with chronic BD showed a significantly higher relative risk of chronic multimorbidity (adjusted RR=2.12) and non-musculoskeletal multimorbidity (adjusted RR=2.29).
- Most chronic comorbidities were more prevalent in the BD group, except asthma and liver cirrhosis.
- Multimorbidity in BD patients was associated with 3-4 times higher odds of unfavorable self-reported health outcomes.
Conclusions:
- The population with chronic back disorders exhibits a higher prevalence of chronic multimorbidity.
- Chronic multimorbidity in BD patients is significantly associated with adverse health outcomes, underscoring the need for integrated care approaches.
Abstract:
The aim was to assess the prevalence of chronic multimorbidity in patients with chronic low back pain or other chronic back disorders (BD). We analyzed data from the population-based cross-sectional European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) performed in the Republic of Croatia 2014-2015 by the Croatian Institute of Public Health. Outcome was the point-prevalence of chronic multimorbidity defined as having ≥2 chronic illnesses out of 14 contained in the EHIS questionnaire, after adjustment for ten sociodemographic, anthropometric and lifestyle confounders. Amoung fourteen targeted illnesses were asthma, allergies, hypertension, urinary incontinence, kidney diseases, coronary heart disease or angina pectoris, neck disorder, arthrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, myocardial infarction, stroke, depression, and the common category "other". We analyzed data on 268 participants with BD and 511 without it. Participants with BD had a significantly higher relative risk of any chronic multimorbidity (RRadj=2.12; 95% CI 1.55, 2.99; p<0.001), as well as of non-musculoskeletal chronic multimorbidity (RRadj=2.29; 95% CI 1.70, 3.08; p=0.001) than participants without BD. All chronic comorbidities except for asthma and liver cirrhosis were significantly more prevalent in participants with BD than in participants without BD. In the population with BD, the participants with multimorbidity had three to four times higher odds for unfavorable self-reported health outcomes than the participants with no comorbid conditions, whereas the existence of only one comorbidity was not significantly associated with a worse outcome compared to the population with no comorbidities. In conclusion, the population suffering from BD has a higher prevalence of chronic multimorbidity than the population without BD and this multimorbidity is associated with unfavorable health outcomes.
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