Patterns of Low Back Pain at Diagnosis in a Community Hospital in Lomé, Togo

Background: Recent data on low back pain (LBP) from Togo is scarce. We therefore conducted this study to determine the current epidemiological, clinical, and aetiological characteristics of LBP in rheumatology consultations in Lomé, Togo. Patients and Method: We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study on the medical records of patients seen in the rheumatology department at Bè Hospital in Lomé, Togo, from January 2015 to December 2020. Our source population consisted of all files with a coded diagnosis of LBP. Data was collected using a survey form that included socio-demographic and clinical data. The significance threshold was set at a p-value Results: Of the 4101 patients admitted during the study period, 1208 (Women, 64.9%) met our criteria for inclusion, representing a hospital frequency of 29.4%. The mean age was 47.8 years. The mean duration of the disease was 14.3 ± 31.4 months. LBP was mechanical in 81.5% of cases, and radiculopathy was present in 75.2% of patients. Radiculopathy was unilateral in 54% of patients, and followed the L5 pathway in 55%. Functional impairment was present in 52% patients. Past history of LBP was found in 45.7% of patients, while 0.6% had a history of lumbar trauma. Degenerative pathology accounted for 99.6% of cases. Nonspecific LBP was prevalent among younger subjects (p Conclusion: LBP remains very common in Togo, affecting mainly active middle-aged women. Degenerative pathology is the dominant aetiology. Further surveys could help identify modifiable risk factors with a view to preventive action.