The effects of chronic back pain on self-management, clinical and psychological outcomes among patients with type 2 diabetes.

Background: Chronic back pain (CBP) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is twice as high among age-and-gender-matched controls. The presence of both conditions impacts negatively on both quality of life and physical function, which might negatively affect mood.

Methods: We aimed to determine the prevalence of CBP among patients with T2DM by using the Lattinen Index (LI) and to assess whether the presence of CBP had any influence on clinical or psychological outcomes.

Results: 13.5% out of 299 patients had significant CBP. The percentage of patients with less than 150 minutes per week of exercise was higher in the group of patients with significant CBP (70% vs. 51.4%; P=0.04). The proportion of patients who met criteria for food addiction was greater among subjects with CBP (47.5% vs. 26.6%; P=0.009). The percentage of patients with criteria for depression was higher among the CBP group (82.5% vs. 29.7%; P<0.0001), as well as the prescription of antidepressants (45% vs. 17.4%; P<0.0001). However, no significant differences were seen regarding glycemic control, or the frequency of complications related to T2DM.

Conclusions: CBP is prevalent among subjects with T2DM, and it constitutes an important limiting factor of both self-care behaviors and psychological well-being.