Low back pain ranked among the top 10 greatest contributors to disability in every country

One-third of the global population has more than five health conditions, and lower back pain is one of the biggest problems, says analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 published in The Lancet.
Over 95% of the world’s population has health problems and as the world’s population grows, and the proportion of elderly people increases, the number of people living in suboptimum health is set to rise rapidly over coming decades.
Musculoskeletal disorders (arthritis, low back pain and neck pain) and mental and substance abuse disorders (predominantly depression, anxiety, and drug and alcohol use disorders) accounted for almost half of all health loss worldwide in 2013.

Key findings include:
• In 2013, low back pain and major depression ranked among the top 10 greatest contributors to disability in every country, causing more health loss than diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma combined.
• Worldwide, the number of people with several illnesses rapidly increased between 1990 and 2013. And the number of people with more than 10 disorders increased by 52% between 1990 and 2013.
• The number of years lived with disability increased over the last 23 years due to population growth and ageing (537.6 million to 764.8 million). But the rate barely declined between 1990 and 2013 (115 per 1,000 people to 110 per 1,000 people).
• The main drivers of increases in the number of years lived with disability were musculoskeletal, mental and substance abuse disorders, neurological disorders and chronic respiratory conditions.
• There has also been a startling increase in the health loss associated with osteoarthritis (75% increase), diabetes (136% increase) and Alzheimer’s disease (92% increase).
• In central Europe, falls cause a disproportionate amount of disability and health burden, ranking as the second leading cause of disability in 11 of 13 countries.
“The fact that mortality is declining faster than non-fatal disease and injury prevalence is further evidence of the importance of paying attention to the rising health loss from these leading causes of disability, and not simply focusing on reducing mortality,” says Prof Theo Vos, lead author.
“Large, preventable causes of health loss, particularly serious musculoskeletal disorders and mental and behavioural disorders, have not received the attention that they deserve. Addressing these issues will require a shift in health priorities around the world, not just to keep people alive into old age, but also to keep them healthy.”

Image credit: NASA Earth Observatory

Click here to read the original research.