Correlation of Sociodemographic and Anthropometric Parameters with MRI Features in Patients with Low Back Pain in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Sub-Saharan Africa

A bstract Background: Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most frequently reported chronic health problems affecting adults in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Among other risk factors, age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) have been associated with a rise in the incidence of LBP in Nigeria, with resultant increasing disability and morbidity. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been found to be very useful in evaluating the abnormalities in the lumbosacral spine due to its excellent soft tissue resolution. Despite this burden, SSA-specific MRI-based data are scarce. Objectives: The aim of this study was to correlate age, sex, and BMI with MRI features in patients with LBP in Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara, Delta State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional prospective study of 150 adults with LBP was carried using a 1.5Tesla MRI scanner (Toshiba Excelart Vantage March 2015). The picture archiving and communication system was utilized for data collection. Analysis of data was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25.0 (SPSS Inc. IL USA). Results: The mean age and BMI of the participants were 59.9 ± 13.2 years and 28.2 ± 4.4 kg m −2, respectively. Ninety-six (64%) were males, whereas 54 (36%) were females. Degenerative disease of the spine was the most common finding and was observed in 126 (84%) of the participants. There was a statistically significant correlation of MRI findings with the age of participants ( r = 0.074, P = 0.0001), but not with sex and BMI. Conclusion: There is significant positive correlation between MRI findings and age of the patients with LBP, but not with sex or BMI.