The Association between the History of Cardiovascular Diseases and Chronic Low Back Pain in South Koreans: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

BackgroundCardiovascular disease and related risk factors have been suggested as a mechanism leading to atherosclerosis of the lumbar vessels and consequent lumbar pain or sciatica. But there is continued controversy concerning its generalization. This study examined whether cardiovascular disease or its risk factors were associated with chronic low back pain (cLBP) in Koreans.MethodsHealth surveys and examinations were conducted on a nationally representative sample (n = 23,632) of Koreans. A total of 13,841 eligible participants (aged 20 to 89 years) were examined to determine the association between cardiovascular disease, the Framingham risk score, major cardiovascular risk factors (blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, and smoking habits) and chronic LBP.ResultsThe total prevalence of cLBP was 16.6% (men: 10.8%, women: 21.1%) and that in patients with a history of cardiovascular diseases was 36.6% (men: 26.5%, women: 47.1%). The results showed that patients’ medical history of cardiovascular disease was significantly associated with cLBP in both men and women when adjusted for covariates (men: OR 2.16; 95%CI 1.34∼3.49; women: OR 2.26; 95%CI 1.51∼3.38). No association was observed between cLBP and the Framingham risk score, medication for hyperlipemia, hypertension, diabetes, and major cardiovascular risk factors (systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose and smoking habits) in either men or women.ConclusionsThe prevalence of cLBP is correlated to a history of cardiovascular disease, but not to the major cardiovascular risk factors from the Framingham study. Further studies on whether these results were affected by psychological factors in patients with a history of cardiovascular diseases or whether new potential risk factors from the artery atherosclerosis hypothesis applying to Koreans exist are needed.

A prediction model of low back pain risk: a population based cohort study in Korea

“…This study was based on a large, representative Korean population with data obtained from a well-established national cohort [38]. The prevalence of LBP in this study was comparable with previous studies [6][7][8][9]45]. Risk prediction equations based on general medical practice data are easily implemented in medical practice [46], and we believe our results are applicable to the general Korean popula-Mukasa and Sung tion.…”

Do Abnormal Serum Lipid Levels Increase the Risk of Chronic Low Back Pain? The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study

“…No definite associations were found between back pain and lipid levels in other cross-sectional studies [10]–[12], [15], but in many cases results were not adjusted for other risk factors. However, in a Finnish study [37] associations were observed in men between prevalence of sciatica and levels of total and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides but not HDL cholesterol, in analyses adjusted for BMI and other confounders.…”

“…Only few studies [8]–[15] have dealt with associations between LBP and abnormal serum lipid levels, representing established risk factors for atherosclerosis [16]. In particular, large prospective studies of potential relationships between lipid levels and risk of LBP are needed.…”

Acupuncture – Basic Research and Clinical Application

“…Individual respondents' understanding of and political attitude towards the term influences response. Debate on the elusive nature of a plausible inert placebo for use in clinical trials of acupuncture is not new [48]. Superficial needling or the application of non-penetrative devices to acupuncture points is recognised to stimulate these points in a manner equitable to a lower dose of the same treatment [49,50] and subsequent research in this area has led to the development of pragmatic trial models which assess the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment against active comparators in ecologically valid settings [51,52].…”

“…Other causes associated with an increased risk of LBP, include infections, autoimmune diseases, orthopedic diseases or tumours [27][28][29][30][31][32][33]. LBP results also from occupational ergonomic factors related to heavy physical work, repetitive actions due to occupational requirements [1,2,[34][35][36][37][38][39]; as well as sports activities or sports-related injuries [40,41]; sedentary lifestyle, prolonged sitting or inactivity and lack of exercises [42][43][44]; post operation or surgery-induced [45,46]; secondary from other medical conditions [47][48][49]; lifestyle factors [50]; poor trunk control and postural impairment [51]; psychosocial and behavior-related factors from smoking, alcohol abuse, obesity, depression and stress [1,6,14,[52][53][54][55][56][57]; socio-economic factors [58]; and ageing [59,60]. However, it is often difficult to identify the origin of LBP [1,5,6,[61][62][63][64][65] and 85-95% of the total cases of back...…”