The prevalence of diagnosed specific back pain in primary health care in Region Västra Götaland: a register study of 1.7 million inhabitants

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the one-year prevalence of diagnosed specific back pain in Region Västra Götaland, inhabiting 1.7 million people. DESIGNS: A retrospective register study. SETTINGS: Data from 2014 to 2019 were extracted from the VEGA register, which holds all health data from all publicly funded health care establishments in Region Västra Götaland. Aggregated data are presented as the one-year prevalence of unique individuals diagnosed with International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems – Tenth Revision codes representing specific back pain. SUBJECTS: All inhabitants in Region Västra Götaland. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The one-year prevalence of diagnosed specific back pain stratified by age, sex, and health care level. RESULTS: In 2019, the one-year prevalence of diagnosed specific back pain in public primary health care centres was 0.82%, rehabilitation care 0.35%, and the combined increase was 156% from 2014. In specialized health care, the diagnosed prevalence during 2014–2019 has remained relatively unchanged. The prevalence was significantly higher among women in primary health care and rehabilitation care. M48.0 (spinal stenosis) and M51.1K (lumbar disc herniation with radiculopathy) were the most common sub-classifications. For M48.0, prevalence increased by age, whereas M51.1K peaked within the 45–64 years category. CONCLUSIONS: The one-year prevalence of diagnosed specific back pain in primary health care was 1.17% in 2019 and has increased since 2014. Women were diagnosed considerably more frequently than men, which is not reflected in surgical treatment prevalence.