Table 1.
Demographic characteristics of patients with CLBP
| Variable | All | ND | DD | BD | HD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number, n (%) | 283 | 37 (13.1%) | 85 (30.0%) | 123 (43.5%) | 38 (13.4%) |
| Age (years) | 41.8±12.0 | 31.9±9.6a | 42.8±10.1b | 44.9±12.6b | 39.3±11.0b |
| Sex | |||||
| Male, n (%) | 173 (61.1%) | 18 (48.6%) | 46 (54.1%) | 77 (62.6%) | 32 (84.2%)§ |
| Female, n (%) | 110 (38.9%) | 19 (51.4%) | 39 (45.9%) | 46 (37.4%) | 6 (15.8%)§ |
| Duration (m) | 24.5±24.9 | 15.0±15.2 | 23.4±22.9 | 28.2±27.8b | 24.8±25.2 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 24.1±3.1 | 23.2±2.8 | 24.7±4.1 | 25.1±4.9 | 24.3±3.4 |
| Smoking, n (%) | 62 (21.9%) | 7 (18.9%) | 19 (22.4%) | 27 (21.9%) | 9 (23.6%) |
| Education, n (%) | |||||
| University* | 228 (80.6%) | 31 (83.8%) | 70 (82.4%) | 95 (77.2%) | 32 (84.2%) |
| High school# | 55 (19.4%) | 6 (16.2%) | 15 (17.6%) | 28 (22.8%) | 6 (15.8%) |
Notes: Data presented as mean ± SD or n (%) and P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
*
Means university or above;
#
means high school or below.
a
P<0.05 vs all;
b
P<0.05 vs ND group;
§
P<0.05 comparing HD group with each group.
Abbreviations: BD, bulging discs; CLBP, chronic low back pain; DD, degenerative discs; HD, herniated discs; ND, normal discs.