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Specific versus non-specific hospital-based spine diagnoses in children and adolescents: a nationwide register-based
Freja Gomez Overgaard1,2,3, Casper Nim4,5, Laura Montgomery6
1Medical Spinal Research Unit, Spine Centre of Southern Denmark, University Hospital of Southern Denmark, Kolding, Denmark. Frejagomez.overgaard@hdr.mq.edu.au.
Background:
Paediatric spine pain is common, yet little is known about the influence of patient characteristics on diagnostic classification in hospital settings.
Objective:
Describe diagnostic code variation by age, sex, parental spine diagnoses, and child comorbidity burden.
Methods:
Nationwide historical (2007-2022) register-based cohort study including Danish 0-17-year-olds with a hospital-based spine-related diagnosis. Diagnoses were classified as specific or non-specific by ICD-10 codes. Patient characteristics were examined descriptively and with logistic regression.
Results:
Of 49,596 children, 63% received a non-specific diagnosis. Non-specific diagnoses were more common among older children (OR ~ 0.22-0.27), children with parental spine-related diagnoses (OR = 0.77), male children (OR = 1.07), or children with lower comorbidity burden (OR ~ 1.09-1.13).
Conclusions:
Diagnostic classification of paediatric spinal pain varies systematically by patient characteristics. Most children receive non-specific diagnoses, underscoring the need for the development of appropriate care pathways including greater use of primary care for non-specific spinal pain.