Cognition is selectively impaired in males with spinal pain: A retrospective analysis of data from the Longitudinal Study of Ageing Danish Twins.

Cognitive decline and spinal pain (back pain [BP] and neck pain [NP]) represent a major public health challenge, yet the potential relationship between them remains elusive. A retrospective analysis of the Longitudinal Study of Ageing Danish Twins was performed to determine any potential relationships between BP/NP and cognitive function adjusting for age, sex, educational and socioeconomic status. A total of 4731 adults (2788 females/1943 males) aged 78 ± 6 (SD) years were included in the analysis. We observed a 1‐month prevalence of 25% with BP, 21% with NP and 11% for combined BP/NP. While there were no differences in cognition scores for males and females reporting combined BP/NP, compared to those without combined BP/NP (34.38 points [95% confidence interval (CI) = 31.88, 36.88] vs. 35.72 points [95% CI = 35.19, 36.26]; P = 0.180; and 35.72 points [95% CI = 35.19, 36.26] vs. 35.85 points [95% CI = 35.39, 36.31]; P = 0.327; for male and females, respectively), an adjusted analysis revealed that males with combined BP/NP presented with lower cognitive scores compared to males without combined BP/NP (81.26 points [95% CI = 73.80, 88.72] vs. 79.48 points [95% CI = 70.31, 88.66]; P = 0.043). The findings of this hypothesis‐generating study may highlight a potential sex‐specific association between spinal pain and later‐life neurodegeneration. What is the central question of this study?Do adults reporting spinal pain (neck pain and/or low back pain) exhibit lower cognitive function compared to pain‐free controls, and to what extent does this relationship differ as a function of biological sex?What is the main finding and its importance?In elderly males reporting spinal pain, cognitive function was selectively lower compared to females following adjustment for age, sex, educational and socioeconomic status. These findings identify spinal pain as a potential modifiable risk factor for latent neurodegeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]