Neck pain is the leading cause of disability burden in China: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Aimin Wu; Wenlan Dong; Xinying Zeng; Xiaohui Xu; Tingling Xu; Kai Zhang; Haijun Tian; Jie Zhao; Xiangyang Wang; Maigeng Zhou

doi:10.21037/atm-20-6868

Neck pain is the leading cause of disability burden in China: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Ann Transl Med. 2021 May;9(9):777. doi: 10.21037/atm-20-6868.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Division of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopedics, Zhejiang Spine Research Centre, Orthopedic Hospital, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopedics, Wenzhou, China.
² National Centre for Chronic and Noncommunicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
³ Department of Orthopedics, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Background: Neck pain (NP) is a common musculoskeletal problem; however, the prevalence and years lived with disability (YLD) of NP in China are still unclear. This study sought to estimate the age-, sex- and province-specific prevalence and YLD of NP in China.

Methods: Adopting the methodology framework and analytical strategies used in the Global Burden of Disease (GBD), Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (2017), the prevalence and YLD of NP in China were estimated by age, sex, year, and provinces/regions.

Results: In China, the age-standardized point prevalence rate of NP was 4,532.6 per 100,000 persons in 1990 and increased slightly to 4,634.4 per 100,000 persons in 2017. The prevalence of NP was 48.0 million in 1990 and rose dramatically to 87.3 million in 2017 (an increase of 82.0%). The age-standardized YLD rate of NP was 454.0 per 100,000 persons in 1990, and there was a slight increase to 465.6 per 100,000 persons in 2017. The all-age YLD of NP was 4.8 million in 1990 and rose to 8.8 million in 2017 (which represents an increase of 81.1%). In 1990, NP was the third leading cause of YLD in China, and in 2017, NP was the leading cause of disability burden.

Conclusions: This study estimated the prevalence and disability burden of NP in China. NP is currently the leading cause of disability burden in China; however, it is currently inadequately recognized and should receive further attention and be subject to further research.

Keywords: China; Neck pain (NP); disability burden; years lived with disability (YLD).