title: Connection between smoking and back pain--findings from an Icelandic general population study.
abstract: The association between pain in general, back pain and smoking was studied in a sample of subjects from the general public (n = 862). The results show that smoking men had pain problems more frequently than women (p < 0.0001). In comparison with non-smokers, smokers were found to have back pains more frequently (p < 0.01). Male smokers were also found to have a higher frequency of intervertebral disc problems than female smokers (p < 0.009). The frequency of disc problems encountered by the smoking subjects indicates a possible connection between smoking and back pain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Líndal
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Stefánsson
mesh_terms: D001416:Back Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007055:Iceland; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*