Burden of disease describes the impact of diseases on individuals, communities and societies. Burden of disease studies are used to assess the relative contribution of different conditions at population level, and are influential in setting health priorities for policy and resource allocation purposes. Recent evidence from the Global Burden of Disease Study has, for the first time, identified low back pain as a leading contributor to the global non-fatal burden of disease. Why has this happened? Population ageing, which is occurring rapidly in developing countries, has been a major driver of this increase in low back pain burden. What effect has this evidence of pain burden had on global health priority setting, and what needs to be done? There has been very little change in terms of priority setting, with the focus remaining on other high burden conditions like cardiovascular disease. Our current state of knowledge about global pain burden, despite limitations, can be translated into scientific and policy agendas that should address the differing needs of developed and developing countries.

Learning Objectives:

• Upon completion, participants will understand basic concepts of burden of disease and its measurement in different contexts.
• Upon completion, participants will appreciate how much low back pain contributes to the global non-fatal burden of disease, and the role of population ageing and other factors in this burden.
• Upon completion, participants will understand how evidence of the global burden of pain can be translated into new scientific and policy agendas.