[Low back pain in general medical practice].

AIM: To characterize prevalence and features of low back pain (LBP) in Moscow outpatients.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

The questionnaire designed in the Rheumatology Institute of Russian Medical Academy was used in the trial performed for a month with participation of 1300 Moscow outpatients aged 18 to 50 years.

RESULTS

LBP is a frequent cause of consulting a physician in an outpatient practice. Most of the outpatients complained of acute and subacute moderate or severe LBP. This pain often caused disability. Of diagnostic tools most frequent was x-ray investigation of the spine.

CONCLUSION

Spinal osteochondrosis is the most frequent diagnosis made in LBP outpatients. Detectability of threat marks in LBP patients is not more than 10%.