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Prevalence of Back Symptoms in Elders

  ABSTRACT.

  Objective. The prevalence of back pain has not been well studied in elders in the US. We describe the prevalence of back symptoms in a cohort of elderly subjects residing in the US by age, sex, examination site, and location of pain.

  Methods. Data from this study are based on 1037 surviving members of the original Framingham Heart Study cohort aged 68–100 years who participated in the 22nd biennial examination in 1992–93. Subjects were questioned about back pain and timing and location of pain.

  Results. Prevalence estimates varied, depending on the question used to assess back symptoms and the manner in which the question was asked. For example, back symptoms on most days occurred in 22.3 of 100 elders. Low back symptoms were more prevalent than those in the mid or upper back. Prevalence was higher among women than men, especially for symptoms in the mid or upper back area. Age did not affect the prevalence of back symptoms in this elderly cohort. Back symptoms were also more prevalent among subjects who were examined in their residence than among those who were examined at the examination site. Most subjects who were examined at their residence chose this location for health reasons.

  Conclusion. Back symptoms are highly prevalent in the elderly, although, among elders, they do not increase in prevalence with age. They are more common in women than men. Elders confined mostly to their homes have an especially high prevalence of back symptoms. (J Rheumatol 2000:27:220–5)

  Key Indexing Terms:

  BACK PAIN
PREVALENCE
ELDERLY
SEX
AGE