Back pain is common and is considered a major health concern with lifetime prevalence estimated at over 70% in industrialized nations (Borenstein et al., 2004). The recent burden of disease findings showed that back pain is the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years in Western Europe and Australia, and is ranked sixth of the top 25 diseases for disability burden globally (Murray et al., 2012).
Disability associated with back pain can have widespread effects on both the economy, because of extensive health care costs and absence from work, as well as on the individuals and their family. Similar evidence on low back pain prevalence, disease burden, and associated risk factors have also been reported in populations in Iran (Biglarian et al., 2012).
Chronic low back pain (CLBP), lasting more than 3 months, accounts for no more than 10% of cases but is one of the greatest health problems in industrialized societies, with costs of US$100–$200 billion a year (Dagenais et al., 2008).
Pain has consistently been shown in prospective epidemiological studies to be a risk factor for the development of depression, with people reporting disabling spinal pain having over double the risk for developing depression. Evidence indicates that psychological factors such as depression can represent a significant barrier to recovery, and psychological interventions are now part of biopsychosocial treatment strategies for chronic pain conditions such as back pain (Linton and Shaw, 2011; Magni et al., 1994).
Previous reports found that between 43% and 66% of individuals who meet the criteria for depression also report painful symptoms in contrast to 16% of the general population. According to Lepine and Briley (2004), probably even more than 75% of
patients with depression experience chronic or recurring pain. Likewise, patients with chronic pain show high rates of depression, from 11% to 100% (Lépine and Briley, 2004).
Therefore, a reduction in the development of depression would be an important outcome for those who experience back pain. To date, there is no previous study which reported the prevalence of depression among Egyptian patients with CLPB. Therefore, we conducted this study to assess the prevalence of depression among Egyptian patients with CLPB.
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