Back complaints in older adults

With the aging of the Dutch population, the number of older aged back pain patients is also expected to increase. However, information on the course and prognosis of older patients with back pain in general practice is very scarce. Back pain is a common musculoskeletal disorder, also in older adults, information about back pain in older adults is therefore important. In addition, because there are several important reasons why back pain in older adults might differ from back pain in the younger adult population, information about younger back pain patients may not be generalizable to older adults. The overall objective of the studies presented in this thesis are therefore to acquire information about back pain in older adults and more specific to gain insight into: 1) the course of back pain in older adults in general practice, 2) the characteristics of these patients and their back pain, 3) prognostic factors for poor recovery of older adults with back pain, 4) the association between perceived lumbar stiffness and lumbar disc degeneration (LDD) as assessed on X-ray, and 5) the medical consumption of back pain patients

Back Complaints in the Elders (BACE); design of cohort studies in primary care: an international consortium

Background: Although back complaints are common among older people, limited information is available in the literature about the clinical course of back pain in older people and the identification of older persons at risk for the transition from acute back complaints to chronic back pain. The aim of this study is to assess the course of back complaints and identify prognostic factors for the transition from acute back complaints to chronic back complaints in older people who visit a primary health care physician. Methods/design. The design is a prospective cohort study with one-year follow-up. There will be no interference with usual care. Patients older than 55 years who consult a primary health care physician with a new episode of back complaints will be included in this study. Data will be collected using a questionnaire, physical examination and X-ray at baseline, and follow-up questionnaires afte

Course of back complaints in older adults: a systematic literature review

Background. Back pain is a common musculoskeletal complaint seen in older people. It is important to get an insight in the course of back complaints and to identify factors associated with a chronic course. Aim. To describe the course of acute and subacute back complaints in older people (>= 45 years) and to identify prognostic factors for developing chronic back complaints. Design. Systematic review of the literature. Methods. A database search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane library, CINAHL, PsycINFO and PEDro. Cohort studies or randomized controlled trials reporting on the course of acute or subacute back complaints in older people were included. The percentage of patients that developed chronic back complaints was calculated, if possible. Results. The search yielded 9293 potentially relevant articles. Of these, 5 studies met all inclusion criteria. At 3 months follow-up 37-40% of the patients still had back complaints. At 12 months follow-up, the percentage ranged from 26-45%. Older age was frequently reported as a prognostic factor for developing chronic back complaints of the whole study population. No prognostic factors could be retrieved for patients aged 45 years and older. Conclusions. At 3 and 12 month follow-up, about 40% of the older people still reported back complaints. However, the heterogeneity of the studies made comparisons difficult. In order to get a dear insight in the course of back complaints in the older adult patients and to indentify prognostic factors for developing chronic back complaints in older people, high quality prospective cohort studies are needed. Clinical rehabilitation impact. More than one-third of the older patients with back pain still experience complaints after 3 and 12 month

Course of back complaints in older adults: a systematic literature review

BACKGROUND: Back pain is a common musculoskeletal complaint seen in older people. It is important to get an insight in the course of back complaints and to identify factors associated with a chronic course. AIM: To describe the course of acute and subacute back complaints in older people (≥ 45 years) and to identify prognostic factors for developing chronic back complaints. DESIGN: Systematic review of the literature. METHODS: A database search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane library, CINAHL, PsycINFO and PEDro. Cohort studies or randomized controlled trials reporting on the course of acute or subacute back complaints in older people were included. The percentage of patients that developed chronic back complaints was calculated, if possible. RESULTS: The search yielded 9293 potentially relevant articles. Of these, 5 studies met all inclusion criteria. At 3 months follow-up 37-40% of the patients still had back complaints. At 12 months follow-up, the percen

Effects of health care interventions on quality of life among frail elderly : a systematized review

ntroduction Many health care interventions have been developed that aim to improve or maintain the quality of life for frail elderly. A clear overview of these health care interventions for frail elderly and their effects on quality of life is missing. Purpose To provide a systematic overview of the effect of health care interventions on quality of life of frail elderly. Methods A systematic search was conducted in Embase, Medline (OvidSP), Cochrane Central, Cinahl, PsycInfo and Web of Science, up to and including November 2017. Studies describing health care interventions for frail elderly were included if the effect of the intervention on quality of life was described. The effects of the interventions on quality of life were described in an overview of the included studies. Results In total 4,853 potentially relevant articles were screened for relevance, of which 19 intervention studies met the inclusion criteria. The studies were very heterogeneous in the design: measurement of frailty, health care intervention and outcome measurement differ. Health care interventions described were: multidisciplinary treatment, exercise programs, testosterone gel, nurse home visits and acupuncture. Seven of the nineteen intervention studies, describing different health care interventions, reported a statistically significant effect on subdomains of quality of life, two studies reported a statistically significant effect of the intervention on the overall quality of life score. Ten studies reported no statistically significant difference between the intervention and control groups. Conclusion Reported effects of health care interventions on frail elderly persons’ quality of life are inconsistent, with most of the studies reporting no differences between the intervention and control groups. As the number of frail elderly persons in the population will continue to grow, it will be important to continue the search for effective health care interventions. Alignment of studies in design and outcome measurements is needed

Association between spinal morning stiffness and lumbar disc degeneration: the Rotterdam Study

Objective: To explore the associations between spinal morning stiffness and lumbar disc degeneration (LDD). Design: Data from a cross-sectional general population-based study (Rotterdam Study-I) were used. Intervertebral disc spaces and osteophytes of people aged >= 55 years were scored on lumbar lateral radiographs (L1-2 through L5-S1 was scored). Logistic regression analysis was used to explore associations between spinal morning stiffness and two definitions of LDD (i.e., 'narrowing' and 'osteophytes'). Spinal morning stiffness combined with low back pain and its association with LDD was also analy Results: Lumbar lateral radiographs were scored for 2,819 participants. Both definitions of LDD were associated with spinal morning stiffness: adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.3; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1-1.6 for 'osteophytes' and aOR 1.8; 95% CI: 1.4-2.2 for 'narrowing'. Both the odds ratios increased when spinal morning stiffness was combined with low back pain: aOR 1.5; 95% CI: 1.1-2.0 for 'osteophytes' and aOR 2.5; 95% CI: 1.9-3.4 for 'narrowing'. When morning stiffness in the legs was co Conclusions: Reported spinal morning stiffness is associated with LDD. The associations increased when we combined spinal morning stiffness with low back pain. The magnitude of the association for the definition 'narrowing' is similar to the association between morning stiffness in the legs and knee or hip OA. (c) 2012 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved