Prevalence and predictors of low back pain among the Iranian population: Results from the Persian cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Low back pain (LBP) is a common health condition in populations. Limited large-scale population-based studies evaluated the prevalence and predictors of LBP in developing countries. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and factors associated with LBP among the Iranian population. METHODS: We used baseline information from the Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in Iran (PERSIAN), including individuals from 16 provinces of Iran. LBP was defined as the history of back pain interfering with daily activities for more than one week during an individual's lifetime. Various factors hypothesized to affect LBP, such as age, sex, marital status, educational status, ethnicity, living area, employment status, history of smoking, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, sleep duration, wealth score, history of joint pain, and history of morning stiffness in the joints were evaluated. RESULTS: In total, 163770 Iranians with a mean age of 49.37 (SD = 9.15) were included in this study, 44.8% of whom were male. The prevalence of LBP was 25.2% among participants. After adjusting for confounders, the female gender [OR:1.244(1.02-1.50)], middle and older ages [OR:1.23(1.10-1.33) and OR:1.13(1.07-1.42), respectively], being overweight or obese [OR:1.13(1.07-1.19) and OR:1.21(1.16-1.27), respectively], former and current smokers (OR:1.25(1.16-1.36) and OR:1.28(1.17-1.39), respectively], low physical activity [OR:1.07(1.01-1.14)], and short sleep duration [OR: 1.09(1.02-1.17)] were significantly associated with LBP. CONCLUSION: In this large-scale study, we found the lifetime prevalence of LBP to be lower among the Iranian population in comparison to the global prevalence of LBP; further studies are warranted to evaluate the causality of risk factors on LBP.

Identification of a novel missence mutation in FGFR3 gene in an Iranian family with LADD syndrome by Next-Generation Sequencing.

Lacrimo-auriculo-dento-digital syndrome (LADD) is a multiple congenital anomaly and a genetically heterogeneous disorder. The aim of this study was to identify the pathogenic gene in an Iranian family with LADD syndrome and review the literature on reported mutations that involved in pathogenesis of LADD syndrome. One novel variant, c.1882 G > A, in fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) was identified by next generation sequencing and Sanger sequencing. The heterozygous FGFR3 c.1882 G > A variant results in substitution of aspartic acid with asparagine at amino acid 628 (p.D628N) and co-segregated with the phenotype in the LADD family. Our findings suggest that the heterozygous FGFR3 c.1882 G > A variant might be the pathogenic mutation, because this amino acid is conserved in several species. Our data extend the mutation spectrum of the FGFR3 gene and have important implications for genetic counseling for the families. This is the second report of FGFR3 involvement in syndromic deafness in humans, and confirms the gene's positive role in inner ear development. In addition, this is the first FGFR3 mutation recognized in the Iranian LADD family.