[Are low back pain and radiological changes during puberty risk factors for low back pain in adult age? A 25-year prospective cohort study of 640 school children].

Recent reports have stated that low back pain (LBP) among children is a common problem comparable with that in adults. This 25-year prospective cohort study confirms that 11% of the cohort have had a history of LBP in adolescence with an 84% lifetime prevalence of LBP in these subjects as adults compared with 70% in the rest of the cohort. LBP was associated with increased morbidity and decreased working capacity. Thirteen percent of the cohort had radiological abnormalities, mainly Scheuermann changes, in the thoracic and lumbar spine as adolescents, with no positive correlation to LBP in this period. Unlike other reports our results did not show any association between X-ray changes in the lower spine in adolescents and a higher prevalence of LBP in adults. Stepwise logistic regression analyses showed that LBP in the growth period and familial occurrence of back disease are important risk factors for LBP later in life, with an observed probability of 88% if both factors are present. Preventive measures in the school period seem to be of great importance.