Khadour Fater A, Khadour Younes A, Alhatem Weaam, Albarroush Deema, Halwani Abdullah Z, Goirge Micheal M, Dao Xiuli
Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Al Baath University, Homs, Syria.
Department of Physical Therapy, Health Science Faculty, Al-Baath University, Homs, Syria.
BMC Neurol. 2025 Apr 5;25(1):146. doi: 10.1186/s12883-025-04158-9.
Chronic low back pain is a global health issue that leads to disability and significant economic costs. However, it has received limited attention in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of chronic low back pain and identify its associated risk factors among the Syrian population.
This cross-sectional study included adults aged 18 years and above who visited neurology outpatient clinics in seven centers across four provinces (Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, and Latakia) between November 2021 and January 2022. A self-administered questionnaire was utilized to collect data on socio-demographic factors, work-related characteristics, and information about chronic low back pain. Descriptive statistics were employed to summarize the demographic characteristics of the participants. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the risk factors for chronic low back pain.
A total of 830 adults participated in the study. The overall prevalence of chronic low back pain was estimated to be 16.7% (95% CI: 13.6-25.5), with females having a higher prevalence 17.8%, (95% CI: 14.8-27.5) compared to males 15.4%, (95% CI: 14.8-23.1). Multivariate regression analysis revealed several risk factors associated with chronic low back pain. These included being overweight (aOR: 5.2, 95% CI: 1.9-8.4, p = 0.041), having no formal education (aOR: 4.6, 95% CI: 1.6-8.4, p = 0.001), lack of regular physical exercise (aOR: 3.7, 95% CI: 1.8-6.3, p = 0.003), smoking more than 11 cigarettes per day (aOR: 4.8, 95% CI: 2.4-12.6, p = 0.003), leading a sedentary lifestyle (aOR: 8.3, 95% CI: 3.5-18.9, p = 0.002), manual work (aOR: 7.9, 95% CI: 5.9-16.7, p = 0.003), and adopting a stooped sitting posture (aOR: 3.5, 95% CI: 0.9-8.2, p = 0.039).
This study demonstrates that the prevalence of chronic low back pain in Syria is higher compared to other regions, and it is associated with several risk factors. These risk factors include a lack of formal education, being overweight, insufficient regular physical exercise, smoking, leading a sedentary lifestyle, manual work, and adopting a stooped sitting posture. These findings underscore the importance of addressing these modifiable risk factors to prevent and manage chronic low back pain in the Syrian population.
慢性腰痛是一个全球性的健康问题，会导致残疾并产生巨大的经济成本。然而，它在低收入和中等收入国家受到的关注有限。本研究旨在确定叙利亚人群中慢性腰痛的患病率，并识别其相关危险因素。
这项横断面研究纳入了2021年11月至2022年1月期间在四个省份（大马士革、阿勒颇、霍姆斯和拉塔基亚）的七个中心的神经科门诊就诊的18岁及以上成年人。采用自填式问卷收集社会人口学因素、工作相关特征以及慢性腰痛的信息。使用描述性统计来总结参与者的人口统计学特征。进行多因素逻辑回归分析以评估慢性腰痛的危险因素。
共有830名成年人参与了该研究。慢性腰痛的总体患病率估计为16.7%（95%置信区间：13.6 - 25.5），女性患病率较高，为17.8%（95%置信区间：14.8 - 27.5），而男性为15.4%（95%置信区间：14.8 - 23.1）。多因素回归分析揭示了与慢性腰痛相关的几个危险因素。这些因素包括超重（调整后比值比：5.2，95%置信区间：1.9 - 8.4，p = 0.041）、未接受正规教育（调整后比值比：4. < 0.001）、缺乏定期体育锻炼（调整后比值比：3.7，95%置信区间：1.8 - 6.3，p = 0.003）、每天吸烟超过11支（调整后比值比：4.8，95%置信区间：2.4 - 12.6）、久坐不动的生活方式（调整后比值比：8.3，95%置信区间：3.5 - 18.9，p = 0.002）、体力劳动（调整后比值比：7.9，95%置信区间：5.9 - 16.7，p = 0.003）以及采取弯腰坐姿（调整后比值比：3.5，95%置信区间：0.9 - 8.2，p = 0.039）。
本研究表明，叙利亚慢性腰痛的患病率高于其他地区，且与多个危险因素相关。这些危险因素包括未接受正规教育、超重、缺乏足够的定期体育锻炼、吸烟、久坐不动的生活方式、体力劳动以及采取弯腰坐姿。这些发现强调了应对这些可改变的危险因素对于预防和管理叙利亚人群慢性腰痛的重要性。
