Non-Fatal Health Outcomes of Low Back Pain Among Adults Aged 55 Years and Above in Ethiopia From 1990 to 2023.

IntroductionThere is a dearth of information explaining how low back pain (LBP) impacts populations aged 55 years and above (55+) in Ethiopia. Thus, this analysis provides insightful information on the metrics of low back pain (LBP), specifically prevalence, incidence, and years lived with disability (YLDs) among populations aged 55+ in Ethiopia.MethodsNon-fatal health outcomes of LBP among adults aged 55+ years per 105 populations were analyzed. This study has used methods and tools of the GBD 2023 study. Disease modeling with Bayesian meta-regression was used. Spatial and temporal variations in metrics were smoothed by applying the spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression. Each metric from 1990 to 2023 was declared along with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs).ResultsThe prevalence of LBP was estimated to be 18,777 cases/105 (95% UI: 15,600-22,114) among adults aged 55+ years in Ethiopia by 2023, with significant differences observed by sex [22,919 cases/105 females (19,252-26,791) versus 15,828 cases/105 males (13,125-18,619)]. The incidence of LBP was estimated to be 9,160 new cases/105 adults aged 55+ years (7,744-9,837) in 2023, with 6,631 new cases among 105 females (5,570-7,902) and 7,320 new cases among 105 males (6172-8794). There were an estimated 2,092 YLDs/105 adults aged 55+ years (1,455-2,841) in 2023, with 2,480 YLDs/105 females (1,729-3,386) and 1,732 YLDs/105 males (1,206-2,340). Higher rates of LBP were estimated among adults aged 65 to 94 years. However, there was no significant variation in the rates by region. There was a notable decline in the rates between 1990 and 2023, except for stable rates in Addis Ababa, Amhara, and Tigray.ConclusionThis study determined high rates of morbidity and disability from LBP in Ethiopia, with considerable decline from 1990 to 2023. Physical activity, body weight management, ergonomic adjustments, and lifestyle changes can be recommended.