Robby De Pauw

Sciensano · Lifestyle and chronic diseases

Background While many studies on the determinants of post-COVID-19 conditions (PCC) have been conducted, little is known about the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 variants and PCC. This study aimed to assess the association between different SARS-CoV-2 variants and the probability of having PCC three months after the infection. Methods This study...

Introduction Cancer causes a substantial burden to our society, both from a health and an economic perspective. To improve cancer patient outcomes and lower society expenses, early diagnosis and timely treatment are essential. The recent COVID-19 crisis has disrupted the care trajectory of cancer patients, which may affect their prognosis in a pote...

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are responsible for a significant proportion of global morbidity and mortality, placing a substantial burden on individuals, communities, and healthcare systems. To effectively plan and allocate resources for prevention and treatment, it is crucial to understand the future burden of NCDs. Projections of prevalence o...

Background Medical registries frequently underestimate the prevalence of health problems compared with surveys. This study aimed to determine the registry variables that can serve as a proxy for variables studied in a mental health survey. Methods Prevalences of depressive symptoms and antidepressant use from the 2018 Belgian Health Interview Surv...

Background Tobacco use in Belgium remains a key public health concern with an estimated 15% of adults reporting daily tobacco use in 2018. In 2022, the Belgian government launched the “Interfederal Strategy 2022-2028 for a Smoke-free Generation.” The strategy outlines a number of targets for reducing daily tobacco use among adults 15+ years and you...

Injuries are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Europe, and not only place a huge burden on individuals and health care services but on society as a whole. However, estimates on the burden of disease expressed as disability adjusted life years (DALY) are only available in some countries. Other countries don’t have the required data or re...

Background Evidence suggests that people from lower socioeconomic status are at higher risk of infectious disease impact, owed to virus exposure, susceptibility and incomplete or delayed vaccination. However, It is unknown whether COVID-19 incidence disparities is due to social inequalities or social vaccination inequalities. The aim of this resear...

Issue In the last years, Belgian policy makers have become increasingly concerned about health problems affecting only women (e.g. endometriosis) or affecting women in different ways than men (e.g. cardiovascular diseases). The current monitoring tools on the health status in Belgium routinely present information disaggregated by sex. Nevertheless,...

By being the leading risk factor for most of the leading causes of death worldwide, tobacco use represents an important public health issue that causes a significant health and economic burden. Despite policy regulations, the prevalence of the use remains substantial in many countries, such as Belgium. A comprehensive framework for the quantificati...

Introduction Tobacco use is one of largest contributors to preventable disease burden in the world. In Belgium, tobacco use is a public health concern and prominent on the policy agenda. To monitor tobacco use and understand the impact on associated outcomes, we estimated the population attributable fraction (PAF) to tobacco use in Belgium and used...

Objectives: The incidence of falling in older adults has remained unchanged over the past decades, despite evidence-based prevention initiatives. Therefore, it is appropriate to reflect on the current screening approach for preventive initiatives. The objective of this study was to determine whether the multifactorial algorithm proposed by Lusardi...

Objectives Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, most research has focused on its acute pathophysiology, yet some people tend to experience persisting symptoms beyond the acute phase of infection, referred to as post COVID-19 condition (PCC). However, evidence on PCC is still scarce. This study aimed to assess the distribution, classification o...

Background Burden of disease estimates have become important population health metrics over the past decade to measure losses in health. In Belgium, the disease burden caused by COVID-19 has not yet been estimated, although COVID-19 has emerged as one of the most important diseases. Therefore, the current study aims to estimate the direct COVID-19...

Introduction Information on years of life lost (YLL) due to premature mortality is instrumental to assess the fatal impact of disease and necessary for the calculation of Belgian disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). This study presents a novel method to reallocate causes of death data. Materials and methods Causes of death data are provided by...

Chronic subjective tinnitus is a prevalent symptom, which has many similarities with chronic pain. Central sensitization is considered as a possible underlying mechanism of both symptoms. Central sensitization has already been investigated in chronic pain populations but not in patients with chronic subjective tinnitus. Therefore, the main objectiv...

Purpose of Review To review the upstream determinants of overweight and obesity in Europe, including food and built environments, and political, commercial, and socioeconomic determinants. Recent Findings Overweight and obesity affect 60% of European adults, and one in three children, and are more common in individuals with low compared to high so...

Background Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, most research has focused on the acute phase of COVID-19, yet some people experience symptoms beyond, referred to as post COVID-19 conditions (PCC). However, evidence on PCC and its impacts on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is still scarce. This study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-1...

Introduction Engaging in meaningful activities contributes to health and well-being. Therefore, it is important to measure this with reliable and valid evaluation tools. The Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey (EMAS-VL) has been cross-culturally validated in Flemish and the psychometric properties determined. Method The adaptation process f...

Introduction Meaningful activities contribute to wellbeing, health, and quality of life. Understanding the brain mechanisms that underlie the attribution of meaning to activities is crucial for further comprehension of human functioning and health. Method An explorative electroencephalographic study including thirteen females. A visual paradigm wit...

Objectives: Within the framework of the burden of disease (BoD) approach, disease and injury burden estimates attributable to risk factors are a useful guide for policy formulation and priority setting in disease prevention. Considering the important differences in methods, and their impact on burden estimates, we conducted a scoping literature re...

Bats can be affected by fungal pathogens such as Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causative agent of the white-nose syndrome. Their body surface can also be colonized by fungal commensals or carry transient fungal species and participate in their dispersal. In this study, 114 bat specimens belonging to seven species were sampled from various locat...

Objectives: To describe and assess the risk of bias of the primary input studies that underpinned the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2019 modelled prevalence estimates of low back pain (LBP), neck pain (NP), and knee osteoarthritis (OA), from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Spain, and Switzerland. To evaluate the certainty of the GBD modelled prev...

Introduction Data linkage systems have proven to be a powerful tool in support of combating and managing the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the interoperability and the reuse of different data sources may pose a number of technical, administrative and data security challenges. Methods and analysis This protocol aims to provide a case study for linkin...

Introduction Information on years of life lost (YLL) due to premature mortality is instrumental to assess the fatal impact of disease and necessary for the calculation of Belgian disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). This study presents a novel method to reallocate causes of death data. Materials and methods Causes of death data are provided by S...

Título: Contribución de la participación en actividades significativas sobre la salud mental en población española durante el confinamiento por CO-VID-19. Resumen: Introducción: Durante el confinamiento provocado por el CO-VID-19 en España, los ciudadanos tuvieron que dejar de realizar activida-des de forma habitual, lo cual podría haber tenido un...

Introduction Engaging in meaningful activities contributes to health and wellbeing. Research identifies meaningfulness by analysing retrospective and subjective data such as personal experiences in activities. Objectively measuring meaningful activities by registering the brain (fNIRS, EEG, PET, fMRI) remains poorly investigated. Methods A systema...

Introduction Low back pain (LBP), neck pain (NKP), osteoarthritis (OST) and rheumatoid arthritis (RHE) are among the musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders causing the greatest disability in terms of Years Lived with Disability. The current study aims to analyze the health and economic impact of these MSK disorders in Belgium, providing a summary of morbi...

Background: While many studies on the determinants of post-COVID-19 conditions (PCC) have been conducted, little is known about the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 variants and PCC. This study aimed to assess the association between different SARS-CoV-2 variants and the probability of having PCC three months after the infection. Methods: This study...

Background Recent studies have identified important social inequalities in SARS-CoV-2 infection and related COVID-19 outcomes in the Belgian population. The aim of our study was to investigate the sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics associated with the uptake of COVID-19 vaccine in Belgium. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional ana...

Background Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, most research has focused on the pathophysiology and management of the acute symptoms of COVID-19, yet some people tend to experience symptoms beyond the acute phase of infection, that is, Post COVID-19 condition (PCC). However, evidence on the long-term health impacts of a COVID-19 infection are...

Background According to WHO, approximately one in three people worldwide live with a chronic, painful musculoskeletal (MSK) disorder. Low back pain (LBP), neck pain (NKP), osteoarthritis (OST) and rheumatoid arthritis (RHE) are among the most disabling MSK disorders. According to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study, LBP was the leading global...

Information on years of life lost (YLLs) due to premature mortality is necessary to assess the fatal impact of disease, crucial for the calculation of Belgian disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). This study presents a novel method to redistribute cause of death data. Belgian cause of death data are obtained from Statistics Belgium (Statbel). Aft...

Background Considering the current overweight and obesity epidemic and its associated increase in non-communicable diseases and healthcare costs, the current study aimed to project the trends in prevalence of overweight and obesity in Belgium using a Bayesian age-period-cohort (APC) model to support policy planning. Methods Height and weight of 58...

Measuring the burden of disease due to injury is a similar process compared to the disease burden. However, burden calculations for injuries impose an extra complexity for the non-fatal burden, as it is important to consider both the ‘cause’ and the ‘nature’ of the injury. Cause of injury (e.g., road injuries, falls, drowning) have historically bee...

Background Within the European Union, musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders represent the most prevalent and costly work-related health problems affecting about 45 million workers. Since middle-aged people during their formative and peak income-earning years are predominantly affected, MSK disorders are the major contributors to the loss of productive li...

Background Recent studies have identified important social inequalities in SARS-CoV-2 infection and related COVID-19 outcomes in the Belgian population. This study aims to investigate socioeconomic and -demographic characteristics associated with the uptake of COVID-19 vaccine in Belgium. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of the uptake...

Background: In a context of decreasing resources and growing health needs, evidence-based health and care policies are essential. This study aims to assess the health trends in Belgium between 1990 and 2019, to compare the Belgian health status to that of the EU-15 countries, and to identify the main drivers in trends over time and country differe...

Background In healthy people and people with nonspecific chronic spinal pain (nCSP) and/or insomnia, participation in physical activity on a regular basis has several physical and psychological health benefits. However, people with chronic conditions often tend to reduce physical activity participation which can lead to deconditioning over time. Cu...

Poster session 3, September 23, 2022, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Bats can be affected by fungal pathogens such as Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causative agent of the white-nose syndrome. Their body surface can also be colonized by fungal commensals or carry transient fungal species and participate in their dispersal. The present study aimed to assess...

Introduction : Low back pain (LBP), neck pain (NKP), osteoarthritis (OST) and rheumatoid arthritis (RHE) are among the most disabling musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders. The current study aims to analyse the health and economic impact of these MSK disorders in Belgium, providing a summary of morbidity and mortality outcomes from 2013 to 2018, as well...

Introduction Low back pain (LBP), neck pain (NKP), osteoarthritis (OST) and rheumatoid arthritis (RHE) are among the most disabling musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders. The current study aims to analyse the health and economic impact of these MSK disorders in Belgium, providing a summary of morbidity and mortality outcomes from 2013 to 2018, as well as...

Background Overweight and obesity are one of the most significant risk factors of the twenty-first century related to an increased risk in the occurrence of non-communicable diseases and associated increased healthcare costs. To estimate the future impact of overweight, the current study aimed to project the prevalence of overweight and obesity to...

Objectives Quantifying the combined impact of morbidity and mortality is a key enabler to assessing the impact of COVID-19 across countries and within countries relative to other diseases, regions, or demographics. Differences in methods, data sources, and definitions of mortality due to COVID-19 may hamper comparisons. We describe efforts to suppo...

Background: Whiplash injuries typically occur from a motor vehicle collision and lead to chronic whiplash-associated disorders (CWAD) in 20% to 50% of cases. Changes in neurotransmission, metabolism, and networks seem to play a role in the pathogenic mechanism of CWAD. Objectives: To further elucidate the functional brain alterations, a neurophy...

Background Considering the current overweight and obesity epidemic and its associated increase in non-communicable diseases and healthcare costs, the current study aimed to project the trends in prevalence of overweight and obesity in Belgium using a Bayesian age-period-cohort (APC) model to support policy planning.Methods Height and weight of 58,3...

Background The importance of assessing and monitoring the health status of a population has grown in the last decades. Consistent and high quality data on the morbidity and mortality impact of a disease represent the key element for this assessment. Being increasingly used in global and national burden of diseases (BoD) studies, the Disability-Adju...

Background: Chronic Whiplash Associated Disorders (CWAD) are characterized by long-lasting symptoms of neck pain occurring after an acceleration-deceleration injury. Central sensitization (CS) has been suggested as the possible underlying mechanism for these symptoms, and is characterized by changes in the central nervous system. Besides CS, psych...

Background In spite of high health expenditures and several reforms, Belgian healthcare system shows unsatisfactory health outcomes. Evidence-based decision-making is essential in a context of decreasing resources and growing health needs. This study aims to assess the health trends in Belgium between 1990 and 2019, to compare the Belgian health st...

Background: Chronic pain affects 20 to 30% of the adult population worldwide and is consequently the leading cause of disability. Current developments in brain imaging technology are increasing the understanding of the pathophysiology of (chronic) pain and enabling the possibility to objectify pain. As a result, our view of the brain has evolved f...

Background The spread of COVID-19 has affected people's daily lives, and the lockdown may have led to a disruption of daily activities and a decrease of people's mental health. Aim To identify correlates of adults' mental health during the COVID-19 lockdown in Belgium and to assess the role of meaningful activities in particular. Methods A cross-...

Purpose To pilot feasibility and assess preliminary effectiveness of standard and culture-sensitive Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) among Hausa-speaking patients with Chronic Neck Pain (CNP). Methods Adverts (online & clinic-based) were used to recruit Hausa-speaking patients with nonspecific CNP in Kano, Nigeria. Selected participants were rand...

It was highlighted that in the original article [1] the given name and family names of the authors were interchanged. The original article has been updated.

Background The importance of assessing and monitoring the health status of a population has grown in the last decades. Consistent and high quality data on the morbidity and mortality impact of a disease represent the key element for this assessment. Being increasingly used in global and national burden of diseases (BoD) studies, the Disability-Adju...

Objectives: Assess the performance of five SARS-CoV-2 rapid serological tests (RST) using finger prick (FP) blood on-site to evaluate their usability for exposure assessment in population-based seroprevalence studies. Study design: Since cross-reactivity with common cold human coronaviruses occurs, serological testing includes a risk of false-po...

Background The spread of COVID-19 has affected people’s daily lives, and the lockdown may have led to a disruption of daily activities and a decrease of people’s mental health. Aim To identify correlates of adults’ mental health during the COVID-19 lockdown in Belgium and to assess the role of meaningful activities in particular. Methods A cross-...

Background Chronic neck pain is a leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting the lives of millions of people. Research investigating functional brain alterations in relation to somatosensory function is necessary to better understand mechanisms underlying pain development and maintenance in individuals with chronic neck pain, yet remains scar...

Background Pain neuroscience education (PNE) combined with cognition-targeted exercises is an effective treatment for people with chronic spinal pain (CSP). However, it is unclear as to why some patients benefit more from this treatment. We expect that patients with more pronounced maladaptive pain cognitions, such as kinesiophobia, might show poor...

Background Though a large amount of research on the management of headache has been conducted, the clinical effectiveness of these treatments remains questionable. Objectives To reach consensus among international musculoskeletal experts on what the most useful management and clinical indicators are in patients that suffer from headache. Design E...

Background: Several studies have investigated the predictors of in-hospital mortality for COVID-19 patients who need to be admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). However, no data on the role of organizational issues on patients’ outcome are available in this setting. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the role of surge capacity organ...

A number of hands-off therapies have been widely reported and are used in the management of headache. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess evidence supporting these therapies on selected headache outcomes. A systematic literature search for randomized clinical trials reporting on the effects of hands-off therapies for headache w...

Background: The spread of COVID-19 has affected people’s daily lives and the lockdown may have led to a disruption of daily activities and a decrease of people’s mental health. Aim: To identify correlates of adults’ mental health during the COVID-19 lockdown in Belgium and to assess the role of meaningful activities in particular. Methods: A cross-...

Study design: Population based cross-sectional study OBJECTIVE.: The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of changes in muscle morphology in patients with chronic idiopathic neck pain (CINP) and whiplash associated disorder (CWAD). Summary of background data: Worldwide, neck pain is a common health problem with high socio-economi...

This article explores the effectiveness of a newly developed Pain Neuroscience Education program for children (PNE4Kids) with functional abdominal pain disorder (FAPD). Children (6–12 years) with FAPD were randomly assigned to 1) the experimental group (n = 14), participating in one hypnotherapy session (i.e., usual care) and one additional PNE4Kid...

Background: To evaluate the reliability and discriminative validity of a proposed adapted tool for the assessment of movement control in patients with and without neck pain. Method: A cross-sectional study at a University hospital center involving 25 pain-free healthy controls and 25 patients suffering from neck pain. Participants were assessed by...

Background: In the context of interventions aimed at reducing pain, disability and maladaptive pain cognitions in chronic neck pain, it is hypothesized that patients who have greater symptom reduction, possibly also demonstrate greater improvement in cervical motor output. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the effect of pain neurosci...

Objective: Acupuncture is a common modality in the therapy of musculoskeletal disorders. The evidence for acupuncture has already been examined frequently but a clear synthesis of previous research is currently lacking. This meta-analysis aims to summarize the evidence for non-immediate effects of acupuncture on pain, functionality and quality of...

Chronic pain is known to alter the brain's network dynamics. These dynamics are often demonstrated by identifying alterations in the brain network topology. A common approach used for this purpose is graph theory. To date, little is known on how these potentially altered networks in chronic pain relate to the symptoms reported by these patients. He...

Changes in brain morphology are hypothesized to be an underlying process that drive the widespread pain and motor impairment in patients with chronic neck pain. However, no earlier research assessed whole‐brain cortical morphology in these patients. This case–control study assesses group‐differences in whole‐brain morphology between female healthy...

Background: Although the association of gray matter morphology alterations and pain-related psychosocial characteristics with pain intensity and chronification in people with chronic spinal pain is evident, research on their mutual interaction is scarce and does not account for possible gender differences. Gender-based differences are, however, of...

Objective: To examine the interrater reliability and agreement of a pain mechanisms-based classification for patients with nonspecific neck pain (NSNP). Methods: Design - Observational, cross-sectional reliability study with a simultaneous examiner design. Setting: University hospital-based outpatient physical therapy clinic. Participants: A...

Objective: Work-related trapezius myalgia is a common musculoskeletal disorder in office workers. Prolonged low-level muscle activity during office work may lead to morphological changes in the muscle tissue, causing pain and fatigue. The aim of the present study was to investigate differences in muscle morphology between office workers with and w...

Importance Effective treatments for chronic spinal pain are essential to reduce the related high personal and socioeconomic costs. Objective To compare pain neuroscience education combined with cognition-targeted motor control training with current best-evidence physiotherapy for reducing pain and improving functionality, gray matter morphologic f...