PREVALENCE OF LUMBOSACRAL RADICULOPATHY IN 2 SICILIAN MUNICIPALITIES

Objectives - As part of a door-to-door survey of neurologic diseases, we investigated the prevalence of lumbosacral radiculopathy (LR) in tw o Sicilian municipalities (N = 14,540, as of November 1, 1987). Materi al & methods - During phase 1, we administered a brief screening instr ument to subjects in the study population. In phase 2, study neurologi sts using specified diagnostic criteria investigated those subjects wh o screened positive. Our case finding was restricted to subjects who m anifested symptoms of LR in the six months preceding the prevalence da y. Results - We found 143 subjects affected by LR (112 definite, 31 po ssible) yielding a crude prevalence of 9.8 cases per 1,000 population. Age-specific prevalence was generally higher in men; it increased to a peak at age 50-59 years and decreased steadily thereafter. At the pe ak, prevalence was higher in factory workers, housewives, and clerks c ompared to workers in other occupations. Conclusions - LR is a common neurologic disease in the general population.