Family History of Sacroiliac Joint Pain as a Risk Factor for Development of Sacroiliac Joint Pain: A Case-Control Study

Background: Chronic lower-back pain is among the most common health problems and accounts for a significant amount of disability worldwide. Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain is one of the leading causes of lower-back pain; however, diagnosis of SIJ pain can sometimes be challenging. Family history is a known predictive factor for arthritis in both seropositive and seronegative arthropathies, including osteoarthritis; however, the role of family history in SIJ pain has not been studied. Study: This case-control study examined whether family history of SIJ pain is a risk factor for developing SIJ pain. Discussion: Results indicate that a high proportion of patients with SIJ pain reported positive family history of SIJ pain (58.6% vs 10.5%, P < .001). Cases were 6.5 times more likely than controls to report any relative with history of SIJ pain. Conclusion: Patients with a prior family history of SIJ pain can be identified early, monitored closely, diagnosed early, and started on aggressive physical therapy and close follow-up. Key words: Sacroiliac joint pain, sacroiliac joint dysfunction