Prevalence of Low Back Pain in Patient Attend Rheumatology Clinic in AL-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq

Abstract

Due to its prevalence, tendency to recur, and expense in treatment, lost work, disability and other factors, lower back pain is considered a significant health concern. This research explores the prevalence of lower back pain and the associated risk factors in patients attending the rheumatology clinic at Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, over the development timeline of September 2024 to March 2025. In total 2,013 patients attended the clinic in the study timeline, and 445 patients met the definition of this research on lower back pain (22.11%). Descriptive analytical data were collected through interviews and physical measurements. The majority of patients were in the 46-60 age group (39.6%; female 61.9%). The prevalence of obesity was 39.6%, and overweight was 35.5%. The most common occupational activity was sedentary work (27.1%), which was statistically associated with low back pain (p=0.0021). 69.2% of patients had concomitant diseases, with arthritis being the most common comorbidity (17.6%). 86.8% of patients used analgesics for their pain. These findings provide evidence of a significant disability burden in the general rheumatology population and support interventions aimed at reducing modifiable risks that can decrease the overall burden of disability related to low back pain in this population (such as obesity and occupational hazards).