Relationship of depression in participants with nonspecific acute or subacute low back pain and no-pain by age distribution

Abstract

Cesar Calvo-Lobo,1 Juan Manuel Vilar Fernández,2 Ricardo Becerro-de-Bengoa-Vallejo,3 Marta Elena Losa-Iglesias,4 David Rodríguez-Sanz,5 Patricia Palomo López,6 Daniel López López7 1Physical Therapy Department, Motion in Brains Research Group, Instituto de Neurociencias y Ciencias del Movimiento, Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid; 2Modeling, Optimization and Statistical Inference Research Group, Universidade da Coruña, A Coruña; 3School of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Podiatry, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid; 4Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid; 5Physical Therapy & Health Sciences Research Group, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, el Ejercicio y el Deporte, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Madrid; 6University Center of Plasencia, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz; 7Research, Health and Podiatry Unit, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Nursing and Podiatry, Universidade da Coruña, A Coruña, Spain Background and purpose: Nonspecific low back pain (LBP) is the most prevalent musculoskeletal condition in various age ranges and is associated with depression. The aim of this study was to determine the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores in participants with nonspecific LBP and no-pain by age distribution.Methods: A case–control study was carried out following the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology criteria. A sample of 332 participants, divided into the following age categories: 19–24 (n=11), 25–39 (n=66), 40–64 (n=90), 65–79 (n=124), and ≥80 (n=41) years was recruited from domiciliary visits and an outpatient clinic. The BDI scores were self-reported in participants with nonspecific acute or subacute (≤3 months) LBP (n=166) and no-pain (n=166).Results: The BDI scores, mean ± standard deviation, showed statistically significant differences (p<0.001) between participants with nonspecific acute or subacute LBP (9.590±6.370) and no-pain (5.825±5.113). Significantly higher BDI scores were obtained from participants with nonspecific acute and subacute LBP in those aged 40–64 years (p<0.001; 9.140±6.074 vs 4.700±3.777) and 65–79 years (p<0.001; 10.672±6.126 vs 6.210±5.052). Differences were not significant in younger patients aged 19–24 (p=0.494; 5.000±2.646 vs 8.250±7.498), 25–39 (p=0.138; 5.440±5.245 vs 3.634±4.397), and in those aged ≥80 years (p=0.094; 13.625±6.1331 vs 10.440±5.591).Conclusion: Participants with nonspecific acute and subacute LBP present higher BDI depression scores, influenced by age distribution. Specifically, patients in the age range from 40 to 80 years with LBP could require more psychological care in addition to any medical or physical therapy. Nevertheless, physical factors, different outcomes, and larger sample size should be considered in future studies. Keywords: depression, low back pain, musculoskeletal diseases, age distribution