Association of lumbar disc degeneration with low back pain in middle age in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966

Table 4 Odds ratios demonstrating the association between LDD sum score and LBP (n = 1303)

	No pain (29.5%, n = 384 (ref))	Mild-to-moderate pain (55.1%, n = 718)	Bothersome-and-frequent pain (15.4%, n = 201)
OR (95% CI) corresponding to one point in LDD sum score
Unadjusted	1	1.13 (1.07–1.20), P < 0.001	1.24 (1.15–1.33), P < 0.001
Adjusted¹	1	1.11 (1.04–1.18), P = 0.003	1.20 (1.10–1.31), P < 0.001

¹adjusted for sex, smoking, BMI, education, leisure-time physical activity, occupational physical exposure, Modic changes, and herniations. OR Odds ratio, CI Confidence interval, LDD Lumbar disc degeneration, LBP Low back pain, Ref Reference category (i.e. to which the other categories were compared); Mild to moderate pain, pain bothersomeness < 6 or pain under 30 days during the last 12 months; Bothersome and frequent pain, pain bothersomeness ≥6 for over 30 days during the last 12 months

ISSN: 1471-2474