Mood and anxiety disorders in patients with chronic low back and neck pain caused by disc herniation.

OBJECTIVE

We investigated the prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders in patients with chronic low back and neck pain caused by disc herniation and the relationships between pain and mood, and anxiety disorders.

METHODS

In total, 149 patients with disc herniation and 60 healthy subjects were included. Disc herniation was diagnosed based on a physical examination and magnetic resonance imaging. Mood and anxiety disorders were diagnosed using the Structured Clinical Interview of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition/Clinical Version.

RESULTS

The mean age of the study subjects (n = 209) was 45.96 ± 11.45 years. Seventy (46.6%) patients with disc herniation met the criteria for at least one mood or anxiety disorder. The prevalence rates of mood and anxiety disorders were 16.6% and 35.8%, respectively. The most common specific diagnoses were major depression (n = 25, 16.9%) and generalised anxiety disorder (n = 19, 12.8%).

CONCLUSIONS

Mood and anxiety disorders were more commonly seen in patients with lumbar or cervical disc herniation than in those without herniation. No relationship was detected between pain severity and mood or anxiety disorders. However, mood and anxiety disorders were associated with neurological deficits.