title: Association between body height and chronic low back pain: a follow-up in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study potential associations between body height and subsequent occurrence of chronic low back pain (LBP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The North-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT). Data were obtained from a whole Norwegian county in the HUNT2 (1995-1997) and HUNT3 (2006-2008) surveys.
  
  
  METHODS
  Altogether, 3883 women and 2662 men with LBP, and 10,059 women and 8725 men without LBP, aged 30-69 years, were included at baseline and reported after 11 years whether they suffered from LBP.
  
  
  METHODS
  Chronic LBP, defined as pain persisting for 3 months during the previous year.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Associations between body height and risk and recurrence of LBP were evaluated by generalised linear modelling. Potential confounders, such as BMI, age, education, employment, physical activity, smoking, blood pressure and lipid levels were adjusted for. In women with no LBP at baseline and body height ≥ 170 cm, a higher risk of LBP was demonstrated after adjustment for other risk factors (relative risk 1.19, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.37; compared with height <160 cm). No relationship was established among men or among women with LBP at baseline.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In women without LBP, a body height ≥ 170 cm may predispose to chronic LBP 11 years later. This may reflect mechanical issues or indicate a hormonal influence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and FORMI, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Heuch
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Ivar
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Heuch
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway Department of Neurology, Norwegian National Headache Centre, St Olavs Hospital, Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: Knut
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hagen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and FORMI, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: John-Anker
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Zwart
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena / Q000502:physiology; D001827:Body Height; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: EPIDEMIOLOGY; PUBLIC HEALTH