Chronic Disorder

Introduction

In a recent Journal article, Penttinen reported on an unexpected association between back pain and suicidal tendency in Finnish farmers. This study was designed to investigate the relationship between back pain and fatal myocardial infarction (Penttine, pp 1452-1453). However, subjects reporting back pain during the year before study baseline had a significantly increased risk of committing suicide during the first 10 years of follow-up, when compared with subjects with no back pain symptoms. When adjusted for age, this finding remained significant. The purpose of this paper is then to familiarize the readership with the current research status of this ...