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Table 3 Characterization of the three clusters of CLBP patients (n = 634)

From: Chronic low back pain patient groups in primary care – A cross sectional cluster analysis

 

Cluster 1

Cluster 2

Cluster 3

 

n = 179

n = 200

n = 255

(28.2%)

(31.5%)

(40.2%)

Age [years: mean (SD)]

68.2 (8.6)

57.8 (13.1)

46.8 (10.3)

Persons at household [mean (SD)]

2.1 (0.9)

2.2 (0.1)

2.9 (1.2)

Employment status [no. (%)]

   

- Working (full or part-time)

12 (6.8)

88 (44.2)

222 (87.1)

Reasons for not working [no. (%)]

   

- Keeping house

11 (6.7)

20 (17.7)

19 (57.9)

- Unemployed#

6 (3.7)

10 (8.8)

11 (33.3)

- Retired

146 (89.6)

82 (72.6)

1 (3.0)

- Other

0 (0)

1 (0.9)

2 (6.1)

Days on sick leave of the employed participants [mean (SD)]

81.4 (14.4)

20.9 (26.7)

4.8 (8.2)

Degree of disability [no. (%)]

   

- Yes

96 (58.2)

113 (59.2)

46 (18.6)

Number of pain areas [mean (SD)]

3.9 (2.3)

4.4 (2.2)

3.7 (2.2)

Index of the graded chronic pain (von Korff) [no (%)]

   

- 0

0 (0)

0 (0)

0 (0)

- 1

23 (14.5)

15 (8.1)

44 (18.0)

- 2

32 (20.1)

24 (13.0)

91 (37.1)

- 3

51 (32.1)

58 (31.4)

69 (28.2)

- 4

53 (33.3)

88 (47.6)

41 (16.7)

Symptom check-list-90-R (Somatization) [mean (SD)]

   
 

11.1 (6.9)

14.4 (7.2)

8.8 (5.0)

Self-administered comorbidity questionnaire (SACQ) [no (%)]

   

- Psychological comorbidities*

23 (19.5)

67 (44.4)

35 (15.2)

- Musculoskeletal comorbidities**

89 (75.4)

87 (57.6)

56 (24.3)

- Other comorbidities***

107 (90.7)

117 (77.5)

125 (54.3)

Brief resilience scale (RS-11) [mean (SD)]

61.3 (11.9)

47.3 (13.6)

63.2 (8.7)

Hospital anxiety and depression (HADS) [mean (SD)]

   

- Anxiety

6.6 (3.4)

10.5 (4.1)

7.0 (3.3)

- Depression

7.4 (2.6)

10.9 (2.9)

6.8 (2.4)

Coping resources of back pain (FBR) [mean (SD)]

   

- Emotional social support

13.9 (5.0)

6.5 (4.6)

11.6 (5.2)

- Practical help

13.5 (5.5)

7.5 (4.8)

13.2 (5.1)

- Exercise and relaxation

14.2 (4.4)

8.2 (4.2)

13.1 (4.7)

- Hobby and enjoyment

16.0 (3.6)

8.0 (4.4)

14.7 (4.0)

- Cognitive strategies

15.7 (3.9)

7.8 (4.3)

14.1 (4.5)

- Knowledge

7.0 (2.6)

4.1 (2.5)

6.9 (2.4)

- Spirituality

6.2 (3.3)

2.5 (2.8)

3.8 (3.5)

Gut feeling: Will the pain get away? [no (%)]

   

- Yes

90 (50.3)

73 (36.5)

40 (15.7)

Number of different therapeutic strategies [mean (SD)]

7.1 (3.8)

6.6 (3.9)

5.0 (3.4)

Number of consultations because of back pain / 6 months [mean (SD)]

5.7 (5.9)

6.1 (7.2)

3.6 (4.2)

Number of operations because of back pain [mean (SD)]

0.3 (0.8)

0.5 (1.4)

0.1 (0.3)

  1. *Participants with the comorbidities depression and/or other psychiatric diseases.
  2. **Participants with the comorbidities degenerative arthritis and/or rheumatoid arthritis and/or osteoporosis.
  3. ***Participants with the comorbidities high blood pressure and/or heart diseases and/or asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and/or ulcer/stomach diseases and/or diabetes and/or high blood lipid level and/or kidney diseases and/or cancer diseases.
  4. #Proportion of unemployment among persons who are not working and are in an employable age (≤ 65 years): Cluster 1: 15.4%; Cluster 2: 20.0%; Cluster 3: 36.7%.