ArticlePopulation health metrics2023
The health and economic burden of musculoskeletal disorders in Belgium from 2013 to 2018.
Article in Population health metrics, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prolotherapy as a Regenerative Treatment in the Management of Chronic Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Pooled it
- Electrical Dry Needling and Therapeutic Exercise Versus Therapeutic Exercise in Patients With Chronic Nonspecific Neck Pain: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Prediction, pain, and the power of context: toward a contemporary identity for the chiropractic profession.Chiropractic & manual therapies · 2026Review
- The effect of exercise on clinical pain: a systematic umbrella review and meta-meta-analysis.Pain reports · 2026Article
- Global, regional, and national burden of disease in neck pain: statistical analysis of incidence, prevalence, and DALYS, with projections to 2036.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Article
- Prevalence and Multivariate Impact of Musculoskeletal Disorders on General Health, Occupational Fatigue, and Productivity in an Industrial Workforce.La Medicina del lavoro · 2026Article
- Post-acute healthcare expenditure following COVID-19 hospitalization and associated social inequalities in Belgium: a matched cohort study.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Musculoskeletal Pain, Insomnia and Health-Related Quality of Life: Associations in the Middle-Aged General Population.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2026Article
- Comparison of Cost-Effectiveness and Cost-Utility of a Telerehabilitation Programme for the Management of Non-Specific Neck Pain: A Study Protocol.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Effects of beta and gamma radiation sterilization on growth factor-loaded nanoparticles: an innovative approach for osteoarticular disorders treatment.Drug delivery and translational research · 2025Article
- Lifestyle Intervention in People With Overweight and Obesity and Chronic Low Back Pain: Study Protocol for an International Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.Physical therapy · 2025Article
- PLGA-microspheres carried circ_0003251 alleviate intervertebral disc degeneration via the miR-637/AKT1 axis.Journal of translational medicine · 2025Article
- Exploring musculoskeletal disorders and ergonomic challenges among software professionals: A cross sectional study.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2025Article
- Article
- Barriers and Facilitators for Implementing Interventions for Treating Patients With Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Qualitative Scoping Review Using the Theoretical Domains Framework.Musculoskeletal care · 2025Article
- Experiences and perceptions of employees and healthcare professionals on a multidisciplinary program for the secondary prevention of low back pain.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Predicting Treatment Outcomes in Patients with Low Back Pain Using Gene Signature-Based Machine Learning Models.Pain and therapy · 2025Article
- Economic burden of musculoskeletal disorders in Tanzania: results from a community-based survey.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Recent advances in the management of knee osteoarthritis: a narrative review.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Review
- Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Neck Pain: Systematic Review and Meta‑analysis with Trial Sequential Analysis.Journal of pain research · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionLow back pain (LBP), neck pain (NKP), osteoarthritis (OST) and rheumatoid arthritis (RHE) are among the musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders causing the greatest disability in terms of Years Lived with Disability. The current study aims to analyze the health and economic impact of these MSK disorders in Belgium, providing a summary of morbidity and mortality outcomes from 2013 to 2018, as well as direct and indirect costs from 2013 to 2017.
methodsThe health burden of LBP, NKP, OST and RHE in Belgium from 2013 to 2018 was summarized in terms of prevalence and disability-adjusted life years (DALY) using data from the Belgian health interview surveys (BHIS), the INTEGO database (Belgian registration network for general practitioners) and the Global Burden of Diseases study 2019. The economic burden included estimates of direct medical costs and indirect costs, measured by cost of work absenteeism. For this purpose, data of the respondents to the BHIS-2013 were linked with the national health insurance data (intermutualistic agency [IMA] database) 2013-2017.
resultsIn 2018, 2.5 million Belgians were affected by at least one MSK disorder. OST represented the disorder with the highest number of cases for both men and women, followed by LBP. In the same year, MSK disorders contributed to a total of 180,746 DALYs for female and 116,063 DALYs for men. LBP appeared to be the largest contributor to the health burden of MSK. Having at least one MSK disorder costed on average 3 billion € in medical expenses and 2 billion € in indirect costs per year, with LBP being the most costly.
conclusionMSK disorders represent a major health and economic burden in Belgium. As their burden will probably continue to increase in the future, acting on the risk factors associated to these disorders is crucial to mitigate both the health and economic burden.
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