title: Somatisation predicts the outcome of treatment in patients with low back pain.
abstract: We have assessed the influence of somatisation on the outcome of treatment in 81 patients with chronic low back pain. All, irrespective of whether treatment was surgical or conservative, had a significantly better (p < 0.001) health-related quality of life at follow-up on all but one scale of the SF-36. Lower health-related quality of life at follow-up correlated significantly with a higher tendency to somatise before treatment and at follow-up. A logistic regression analysis yielded two factors which predicted the outcome; somatisation (p < 0.001) and 'doctor shopping' (the number of physicians consulted before the present inpatient treatment, p < 0.001). These factors accurately distinguished between patients with good and those with poor outcomes in 82%. Patients with somatisation and 'doctor shopping' were at a higher risk for a poor outcome. The results show the relevance of somatisation in the outcome of treatment in patients with low back pain.
authors.affiliation: Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nickel
authors.forename: U T
authors.initials: UT
authors.lastname: Egle
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rompe
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Eysel
authors.forename: S O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D013001:Somatoform Disorders; D016896:Treatment Outcome