title: Factors influencing neck pain intensity in whiplash-associated disorders in Sweden.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate if sociodemographic and economic factors, preinjury health status, and collision factors are associated with initial neck pain intensity in whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) in Sweden. The factors of interest were demographic and socioeconomic factors, prior health, and collision factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cohort study of car occupants, insured by either of 2 Swedish traffic insurers, age 18 to 74 years, who filed an injury claim and reported WAD after a motor vehicle collision (n=1187) were approached with mailed questionnaires. These contained questions about prior health, details about the collision, and symptoms after the collision. Neck pain intensity was measured on a visual analog scale and categorized into mild pain (0 to 30 mm), moderate pain (31 to 54 mm), and severe pain (55 to 100 mm).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Low educational level [odds ratio (OR) 2.8; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.8-4.5], being sole adult in the family (OR 1.6; 95%CI 1.1-2.2), prior neck pain (OR 2.9; 95%CI 1.4-6.2), prior headache (OR 2.2; 95%CI 0.7-6.9), prior poor general health (OR 2.6; 95%CI 1.4-4.8), and exposure to rollover collision (OR 1.9; 95%CI 1.0-3.8) were all associated with severe initial neck pain intensity. Most of these factors were also associated with moderate pain intensity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study confirms results from a previous study that sociodemographic and economic status, preinjury health status, and collision-related factors are associated with participants' rating of initial neck pain intensity in WAD. The findings are of importance for interpreting and understanding the underlying factors of pain rating.
authors: Division of Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Lena.Holm@ki.se
authors: Lena W
authors: LW
authors: Holm
authors: Linda J
authors: LJ
authors: Carroll
authors: J
authors: J
authors: David Cassidy
authors: Anders
authors: A
authors: Ahlbom
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013548:Sweden; D014911:Whiplash Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*