Purpose: The primary aim in the evaluation of patients presenting with acute or subacute low back pain (LBP) is to exclude a possible specific spinal pathology. Literature on the population-based incidences of these pathologies is scarce. The aim of our study was to investigate the population-based incidence of specific spinal pathologies as a cause of atraumatic acute or subacute LBP.
Methods: From our institutional database, we identified all patients with a relevant LBP-related ICD-10 code during a visit to our emergency department (ED) in a level II/III teaching hospital between January 2012 and December 2014. Patients with a possible specific spinal pathology (cauda equina syndrome, spondylodiscitis, vertebral fracture, and cancer) were assessed in detail.
Results: A total of 900 visits were due to atraumatic low back pain. Of these 284 (31.6%) were due to nonspecific LBP, and 583 (64.8%) due to radicular pain suggesting nerve root compression. In 33 (3.7%) cases, the LBP was caused by a specific spinal pathology. The annual incidences per 100,000 were 0.60 for CES, 2.1 for spondylodiscitis, 0.76 for cancer and 1.2 for compression fracture.
Conclusions: The incidences of specific spinal pathologies were low. Given that LBP is a very common symptom, it is not surprising that the accuracy of red flag symptoms is poor. Each patient should be considered individually, and we advocate a low threshold for referral and advanced imaging in cases where a specific spinal pathology is suspected.
Keywords: Diagnostic triage; Incidence; Low back pain; Red flag; Specific pathology.