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IJE Advance Access originally published online on November 17, 2007
International Journal of Epidemiology 2008 37(1):69-74; doi:10.1093/ije/dym220
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Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association © The Author 2007; all rights reserved.

Back pain, a communicable disease?

Heiner Raspe1,*, Angelika Hueppe1 and Hannelore Neuhauser2

1Institute for Social Medicine, University of Luebeck, D Luebeck, Germany.
2Department of Epidemiology and Health Reporting, Robert Koch-Institute, Berlin, Germany.

*Corresponding author. Institute for Social Medicine, University of Luebeck, Beckergrube 43–47, D 23552 Luebeck, Germany. E-mail: heiner.raspe{at}uk-sh.de


  Abstract

Background: Back pain (BP) is a frequent disorder affecting currently up to 40% of adults inWestern Europe. Most of it is said to be ‘non-specific’, i.e. lacking an obvious patho-anatomical explanation. It is seldom the consequence of a contagious disease caused by microorganisms. This does not exclude it from being communicable if ‘communicable’ is to refer to something being transmitted by sharing or exchanging information.

Aim: To propose the hypothesis of BP being a communicable disease.

Methods and results: We base our hypothesis on a reanalysis of five German health surveys. They show a wide gap in BP prevalence between West and East Germany early after reunification. The gap consistently decreased to nearly zero in 2003. Work disability data followed a comparable course.

Discussion: Various processes may have contributed to the observed changes. Our hypothesis is corroborated by experimental research showing that BP-related beliefs, attitudes and behaviour could positively be influenced by media campaigns and by insights from another recent epidemic.

Keywords Back pain, epidemiology, Germany, communicable disease, hypothesis

Accepted 2 October 2007


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