Neck pain is a common condition, which causes substantial disability and economic cost [1]. While much of the epidemiological literature on neck pain varies significantly with respect to methodology, which limits the ability to compare and pool data across studies, data consistently show that neck pain is widespread throughout many regions of the world, and appears to be increasing in both the general population and specific occupational groups [1].
In assessing health priorities, allocating resources and evaluating the potential costs and benefits of public health interventions, governments consider the burden of a disease and its contribution to the overall health of the population relative to other diseases [2]. Burden of disease rankings are based on how much death and disability each disease causes. Global Burden of Disease (GBD) studies provide these rankings for the world and its major regions.
The GBD 2005 study (GBD 2005) is currently being undertaken to estimate the 2005 burden for more than 175 diseases and injuries [3]. The methods used will also be retrospectively applied to 1990 data to revise the original GBD estimates *[3] and *[4]. This is the first time the global burden of neck pain has been assessed using burden of disease methods. Epidemiological parameters, such as prevalence, incidence and remission, are important in the estimation of disease burden. In this article, we describe the process we have adopted to identify data for estimating the global burden of neck pain for GBD 2005. We briefly present a summary of our results together with an overview of the neck pain epidemiological literature.
Neck pain is becoming increasingly common throughout the world. It has a considerable impact on individuals and their families, communities, health-care systems, and businesses. There is substantial heterogeneity between neck pain epidemiological studies, which makes it difficult to compare or pool data from different studies. The estimated 1 year incidence of neck pain from available studies ranges between 10.4% and 21.3% with a higher incidence noted in office and computer workers. While some studies report that between 33% and 65% of people have recovered from an episode of neck pain at 1 year, most cases run an episodic course over a person’s lifetime and, thus, relapses are common. The overall prevalence of neck pain in the general population ranges between 0.4% and 86.8% (mean: 23.1%); point prevalence ranges from 0.4% to 41.5% (mean: 14.4%); and 1 year prevalence ranges from 4.8% to 79.5% (mean: 25.8%). Prevalence is generally higher in women, higher in high-income countries compared with low- and middle-income countries and higher in urban areas compared with rural areas. Many environmental and personal factors influence the onset and course of neck pain. Most studies indicate a higher incidence of neck pain among women and an increased risk of developing neck pain until the 35–49-year age group, after which the risk begins to decline. The Global Burden of Disease 2005 Study is currently making estimates of the global burden of neck pain in relation to impairment and activity limitation, and results will be available in 2011..