The global burden of neck pain: estimates from the global burden of disease 2010 study.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the global burden of neck pain.


METHODS
Neck pain was defined as pain in the neck with or without pain referred into one or both upper limbs that lasts for at least 1 day. Systematic reviews were performed of the prevalence, incidence, remission, duration and mortality risk of neck pain. Four levels of severity were identified for neck pain with and without arm pain, each with their own disability weights. A Bayesian meta-regression method was used to pool prevalence and derive missing age/sex/region/year values. The disability weights were applied to prevalence values to derive the overall disability of neck pain expressed as years lived with disability (YLDs). YLDs have the same value as disability-adjusted life years as there is no evidence of mortality associated with neck pain.


RESULTS
The global point prevalence of neck pain was 4.9% (95% CI 4.6 to 5.3). Disability-adjusted life years increased from 23.9 million (95% CI 16.5 to 33.1) in 1990 to 33.6 million (95% CI 23.5 to 46.5) in 2010. Out of all 291 conditions studied in the Global Burden of Disease 2010 Study, neck pain ranked 4th highest in terms of disability as measured by YLDs, and 21st in terms of overall burden.


CONCLUSIONS
Neck pain is a common condition that causes substantial disability. With aging global populations, further research is urgently needed to better understand the predictors and clinical course of neck pain, as well as the ways in which neck pain can be prevented and better managed.
University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
Damian
D
Hoy
Department of Rheumatology, University of Sydney Institute of Bone and Joint Research, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia.
Lyn
L
March
Department of Rheumatology, Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro, UK.
Anthony
A
Woolf
School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.
Fiona
F
Blyth
Australian Health Workforce Institute, University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria, Australia.
Peter
P
Brooks
Northern Clinical School, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia.
Emma
E
Smith
University of Queensland, School of Population Health, and Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Theo
T
Vos
School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
Jan
J
Barendregt
Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Jed
J
Blore
Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Chris
C
Murray
Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Roy
R
Burstein
Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Victoria, Australia Monash Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Cabrini Institute and Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Rachelle
R
Buchbinder
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D015995:Prevalence; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
Epidemiology; Health services research; Outcomes research