Comorbidities Common in Adults With Chronic Back Pain

Cardiovascular disease, arthritis or rheumatism, and depression tied to higher activity limitations with back pain

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 8, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Noncommunicable diseases and multimorbidity are common in adults with chronic back pain, according to a study published in the September-October issue of the Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy.

Érica de Matos Reis Ferreira, from the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil, and colleagues compared the prevalence of chronic noncommunicable disease between adults with and without chronic back pain, along with comorbidities associated with activity limitations. The analysis included 87,678 participants in the 2019 National Health Survey.

The researchers found that the prevalence rates of all noncommunicable conditions were higher in people with chronic back pain versus those without chronic back pain. Among adults with chronic back pain, 62.1 percent reported multimorbidity. The odds of a participant with comorbidities reporting a worse activity level were more than doubled for arthritis or rheumatism, were 1.6-fold higher for depression, and were 1.5-fold higher for cardiovascular disease versus participants without these specific comorbidities.

“The findings highlight the urgent need for doctors to look beyond pain management when treating patients with chronic back pain,” lead author Rafael Zambelli Pinto, also from the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, said in a statement. “It’s not just about the spine. These patients are carrying a heavier overall health burden that affects their independence and quality of life.”