Skip to main content
MJH Life Sciences
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
Home
  • Topics
  • News
  • Image IQs
  • Diabetes
  • Thyroid Disorders
  • Women's Health
  • Osteoporosis
  • Guidelines
  • Contribute
  • Job Board
MJH Life Sciences

SUBSCRIBE: eNewsletter

Men, Not Women with Diabetes May Have Higher Chronic Lower Back Pain Risk

Men, Not Women With Diabetes May Have Higher Chronic Lower Back Pain Risk

(©Endostock, AdobeStock.com)

  • Katie Robinson
September 18, 2019
  • Diabetes, Endocrinology, Men's Health, News

Men with diabetes may have a higher risk of experiencing chronic lower back pain, say researchers writing in BMJ Open this month.

People with diabetes are often affected by lower back pain, but whether diabetes represents a risk factor for back pain has not been studied in detail. Previous studies have suggested a relationship between increased blood glucose levels and lower back pain, and that lumbar spinal stenosis may be associated with diabetes. While the two conditions have important risk factors in common, including being overweight and obesity, physical inactivity and smoking, few epidemiological studies have looked at relations between diabetes and back pain.

The aim of this prospective study with an 11-yesr follow-up period was to explore relationships between diabetes and risk of chronic lower back pain, defined as lasting more than three months, in a Norwegian population, adjusting for body mass index, physical activity and smoking. The participants, were aged 30–69 years.

In 6,802 participants without lower back pain at baseline, an increased risk of chronic lower back pain was found in men with diabetes, (relative risk (RR) 1.43, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.96, p=0.043) but no association between the two conditions was found in women (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.69 to 1.48, p=0.98). Among 18,972 participants with chronic lower back pain at baseline, no association between diabetes and recurrence or persistence of chronic lower back pain after 11 years could be established in either sex.

“Diabetes is known to be associated with a number of complications and a higher risk of other diseases as polyneuropathy, kidney and cardiovascular diseases. The results of this study indicate that chronic lower back pain might be considered another candidate for this list of associated disorders in men,” wrote the authors, led by Ingrid Heuch, M.D., Ph.D., Oslo University Hospital in Norway.

“Our results only apply to the age interval of 30–69 years at baseline, and no statements can be made in connection with diabetes diagnosed from the age of 70 years,” the authors wrote.

While the researchers adjusted for body mass index, physical activity and smoking, they noted, “The possibility that other kinds of comorbidity may affect the association between diabetes and lower back pain cannot be excluded.”


REFERENCE
Ingrid Heuch, Ivar Heuch, Knut Hagen, et al. ”Does diabetes influence the probability of experiencing chronic low back pain? A population-based cohort study: the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study.” BMJ Open. Sept 12, 2019. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031692

Related Articles

  • Image IQ: 7-year-old boy with photophobia
  • Light Exercise Lowers Fracture Risk Post Menopause
  • 10 New Endocrinology Drugs in 2019
  • Treatment Doesn't Improve Subclinical Hypothyroidism Symptoms
  • Overtreatment May Cause More Harm Than Good

Resource Topics rightRail

  • Resource Topics
  • Partner Content
  • Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency
Successfully Integrating Medical Weight Loss into an Endocrinology Practice
Connect with Us
  • Column 1
    • Home
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Column 2
    • Editorial Info
  • Column 3
    • Advertising Info
    • Reprints
    • Advertising Terms
  • Column 4
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
Modern Medicine Network
© UBM 2019, All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited.

We've noticed that you're using an ad blocker

Our content is brought to you free of charge because of the support of our advertisers. To continue enjoying our content, please turn off your ad blocker.

It's off now Dismiss How do I disable my ad blocker?
❌

How to disable your ad blocker for our site:

Adblock / Adblock Plus
  • Click on the AdBlock / AdBlock Plus icon on the top right of your browser.
  • Click “Don’t run on pages on this domain.” OR “Enabled on this site.”
  • Close this help box and click "It's off now".
Firefox Tracking Prevention
  • If you are Private Browsing in Firefox, "Tracking Protection" may casue the adblock notice to show. It can be temporarily disabled by clicking the "shield" icon in the address bar.
  • Close this help box and click "It's off now".
Ghostery
  • Click the Ghostery icon on your browser.
  • In Ghostery versions < 6.0 click “Whitelist site.” in version 6.0 click “Trust site.”
  • Close this help box and click "It's off now".
uBlock / uBlock Origin
  • Click the uBlock / uBlock Origin icon on your browser.
  • Click the “power” button in the menu that appears to whitelist the current website
  • Close this help box and click "It's off now".