Undiagnosed anxiety and depression in patients presenting for evaluation of chronic low back pain

Masroor Ahmed; Muhammad Bux; Mukesh Kumar; Ameet Kumar; Ghulam Hussain; Naveed Ahmed

Abstract
Objective: To assess anxiety and depression in patients presenting with chronic low back pain at our orthopedic clinic.
Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2019 to February 2020. Patients aged 18 and above who presented with a history of chronic lower back pain for more than three months were included in the study. Those with spinal injuries leading to any fracture, lumbar spine surgery, or any prior history of psychiatric illness were excluded from the study. HADS was utilized to evaluate anxiety and depression.
Results: A total of 540 patients were included in the study. Pearson r data showed a weak positive but significant relationship between chronic lower back pain with anxiety (r = .126, n = 540, p = .003) and depression (r =.109, n = 540, p= .011).
Conclusion: Chronic lower back pain is one of the common presenting complaints in orthopedic clinics. Any patient that presents for management of chronic lower back pain should be assessed for anxiety and depression, as they usually exist together.

Key words: Anxiety, depression, hospital anxiety depression scale (HADS), low back pain.

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