Global Burden, Temporal Trends, and Risk Factors of Low Back Pain Among People Aged 15–49 Years
Yunfei Lei, Tingting Tang, Chao Huang, Zongke ZhouABSTRACT
Background
Low back pain (LBP) remains a leading cause of disability worldwide. However, the disease burden among people aged 15–49 years has been insufficiently addressed.
Objective
The present study aimed to investigate the global burden, temporal trends, and attributable risk factors of low back pain among people aged 15–49 years.
Methods
Using data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study 2021, we analyzed the incidence, prevalence, and disability‐adjusted life years (DALYs) of LBP across 204 countries and territories. Age‐standardized rates (ASRs) were calculated, and temporal trends from 1990 to 2021 were examined using joinpoint regression.
Results
According to GBD 2021 estimates, there are approximately 16,993,809 new cases of LBP that occurred worldwide, with South Asia bearing the highest case load. Although ASRs of incidence (AAPC: −0.16; 95% CI: −0.20, −0.12), ASRs of prevalence (AAPC: −0.17; 95% CI: −0.20, −0.14), and ASRs of DALYs (AAPC: −0.16; 95% CI: −0.18, −0.14) declined between 1990 and 2021, absolute case numbers and DALYs increased. Occupational ergonomic factors (28.4%, 95% CI: 26.3%–30.7%), tobacco smoking (11.4%, 95% CI: 7.6%–15.2%), and high body mass index (BMI) (10.9%, 95% CI: 1.1%–21.0%) were the major attributable risk factors. Women always bear a more severe disease burden than men, with the age‐standardized incidence rate (ASIR) being 3788.64 vs. 2380.94 per 100,000; the age‐standardized prevalence rate (ASPR) being 8822.52 vs. 5410.51 per 100,000; and the age‐standardized DALY rates (ASDR) being 999.13 vs. 626.28 per 100,000 in women and men, respectively. When it comes to the socio‐demographic index (SDI), ASIR and ASPR initially increased with rising SDI, reaching a peak in Australasia, with ASPR over 12,500 per 100,000 and ASIR over 5000 per 100,000, before subsequently decreasing with further SDI increments.
Conclusions
Despite declining ASRs, the absolute global burden of LBP among individuals aged 15–49 continues to grow, particularly among women and in high‐SDI regions. Targeted preventive strategies and control measures are urgently needed.