OBJECTIVES: ‘BISCUITS’ (Burden of Disease and Management of Osteoarthritis (OA) and Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP): Health Care Utilization and Sick Leave in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark), a large Nordic cohort study linking several registries with data on healthcare visits, medication use, demographics, socioeconomics, patient-reported outcomes and work absence has been initiated to provide real-world data on prevalence, burden of disease, treatment pathways and unmet need for OA and CLBP. The objective of the current research is to present Swedish prevalence and patient characteristics of OA and CLBP populations.

METHODS: All patients ≥18 years with ≥1 diagnosis of OA or low back pain recorded in speciality care or from two regions with primary care during 2011-2017 were included. CLBP cohorts were required to have ≥2 filled prescriptions for a pain relief drug in conjunction with diagnosis. Point prevalence was estimated on Dec 31, 2017 among the adult Swedish population and among residents in the regions with primary care data.

RESULTS: Prevalence of OA and CLBP was distinctly higher with available primary care data vs. only speciality care (OA: 11.7% [n=354,025] vs 5.1% [n=512,430], CLBP: 5.3% [n=160,984] vs 1.4% [n=136,850]) indicating that the majority of patients are treated in primary care. In the cohort with primary care, around one third of the OA patients and almost half of the CLBP patients were aged 18-59 years. The employment rate for patients <65 years and annual average disposable income were 77% and €23,379 for patients with OA, and 66% and €20,820 for patients with CLBP.

CONCLUSIONS: A contemporary prevalence of OA and CLBP has been estimated for Sweden and is forthcoming for other Nordic countries. Improved characterization of OA and CLBP patient populations, utilising large real-world data sources, will provide further understanding of these diseases and the opportunities to improve disease management.