Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.20471/acc.2023.62.01.17

Chronic Multimorbidity of Low Back Pain or other Chronic Back Disorders in the Republic of Croatia

Jelena Marunica Karšaj ; University Department of Rheumatology, Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Zagreb, Croatia
Tomislav Benjak ; Croatian Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia
Larisa Stojanovič ; Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Frane Grubišić ; University Department of Rheumatology, Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Zagreb, Croatia; School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Diana Balen ; University Department of Rheumatology, Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Zagreb, Croatia
Simeon Grazio orcid.org/0000-0003-3407-0317 ; University Department of Rheumatology, Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Zagreb, Croatia; School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

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.

Keywords

Low back pain; European Health Interview Survey; Comorbidity; Multimorbidity

Hrčak ID:

307273

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/307273

Publication date:

1.4.2023.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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