• C Cedraschi, C Luthy, A F Allaz, F R Herrmann, and C Ludwig.
• Division of General Medical Rehabilitation (SMIR-BS), Geneva University Hospitals, University of Geneva, 4 Rue Gabrielle Perret-Gentil, 1211, Geneva 14, Switzerland. Christine.Cedraschi@hcuge.ch.
• Eur Spine J. 2016 Sep 1; 25 (9): 2822-32.

PurposeInvestigation of self-reported of low back pain (LBP) over the last month and associated health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a sample of a community-dwelling population aged ≥65.MethodsCross-sectional study including older adults selected randomly from population records. Data were collected within a sample stratified by age and sex. Physical and psychological healths were investigated using a standardized definition of LBP and the EuroQoL-5D for HRQoL. Analyses were first conducted on the entire sample (N = 3042) and subsequently considering the subsample who reported LBP and a paired sample drawn from the pool of LBP-free respondents.Results889 (29 %) respondents reported LBP within the past month, present 'most days' or 'every day' in 52 % and limiting activities in the same proportion. Average pain score was 4.6 (SD 2.2; 0-10 scale). Age was associated with pain frequency and duration, with younger groups more often reporting pain 'some days' and 'dating back <3 months'. Results of regression analyses showed that individuals suffering from LBP had significantly more problems than LBP non-sufferers on all EQ-5D subscales, except self-care: pain/discomfort (OR 5.33; 95 % CI [4.19-6.79]), mobility (OR 2.66; 95 % CI [2.04-3.46]), usual activities (OR 1.92; 95 % CI [1.42-2.60]), anxiety/depression (OR 1.59; 95 % CI [1.23-2.04]) and self-care (OR 1.29; 95 % CI [0.84-1.98]).ConclusionLBP appears to be a more permanent condition in the older groups. LBP may be a part of the definition of a subgroup of elderly at risk of becoming frail in relation with higher levels of functional limitations, psychological difficulties and social restrictions, hence globally impaired HRQoL.

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