title: Back complaints in the elders (BACE); design of cohort studies in primary care: an international consortium.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although back complaints are common among older people, limited information is available in the literature about the clinical course of back pain in older people and the identification of older persons at risk for the transition from acute back complaints to chronic back pain. The aim of this study is to assess the course of back complaints and identify prognostic factors for the transition from acute back complaints to chronic back complaints in older people who visit a primary health care physician.
  
  
  METHODS
  The design is a prospective cohort study with one-year follow-up. There will be no interference with usual care. Patients older than 55 years who consult a primary health care physician with a new episode of back complaints will be included in this study. Data will be collected using a questionnaire, physical examination and X-ray at baseline, and follow-up questionnaires after 6 weeks and 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. The study 'Back Complaints in the Elders' (BACE) will take place in different countries: starting in the Netherlands, Brazil and Australia. The research groups collaborate in the BACE consortium. The design and basic objectives of the study will be the same across the studies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This consortium is a collaboration between different research groups, aiming to provide insight into the course of back complaints in older people and to identify prognostic factors for the transition from acute back complaints to chronic back complaints in older persons. The BACE consortium allows to investigate differences between older people with back complaints and the health care systems in the different countries and to increase the statistical power by enabling meta-analyses using the individual patient data. Additional research groups worldwide are invited to join the BACE consortium.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands. j.scheele@erasmusmc.nl
authors.forename: Jantine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Scheele
authors.forename: Pim A J
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Luijsterburg
authors.forename: Manuela L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Chris G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Maher
authors.forename: Leani
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Wilco C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Peul
authors.forename: Maurits W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: van Tulder
authors.forename: Arthur M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bohnen
authors.forename: Marjolein Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: Sita M A
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Bierma-Zeinstra
authors.forename: Bart W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Koes
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies