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High LDL cholesterol linked to disc degeneration
Study shows high glucose and arteriosclerosis may also increase odds of developing degeneration.
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Researchers from Japan have identified poor lipid metabolism as a new potential risk factor for disc degeneration.
High levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc), also known as “bad cholesterol,” correlated with degeneration at the L4/L5 (P=.0030) and L5/S1 (P=.0201) levels.
Courtesy of Mika Hangai |
The new research disputes previous studies that found no correlation between the condition and degeneration, said Mika Hangai, MD, a researcher at the University of Tsukuba in Japan. “So, we propose that dysfunction in lipid metabolism may affect disc degeneration,” she said during her presentation at the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine 32nd Annual Meeting.
Hangai and colleagues studied 1347 discs and found that disc degeneration also correlated with aging, obesity, arteriosclerosis and high glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c).
Researchers assessed the spines of 270 adults (96 men and 174 women) enrolled in an exercise program. Participants in the study had a mean age of 68, Hangai said.
Investigators measured participants’ body mass index and ran blood tests to determine trigylceride and HbA1c. They also tested LDLc levels.
Likewise, the researchers examined arteriosclerosis through brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity and determined bone mineral density from a calcaneal osteo-sono assessment index, Hangai said. They explored participant history of low back pain and gathered lifestyle information such as smoking and alcohol consumption.
Researchers viewed participant discs using T2-weighted MRIs, they wrote in their abstract. They ranked the 1347 discs for quality and grouped them into five grades using a modified Pfirrmann classification. They considered discs with a grade four or five as degenerated, Hangai said. Of the discs studied, researchers determined that 795 discs (59%) were degenerated.
They performed a statistical analysis with the variables to explore various risk factors. Of the factors they investigated, “aging, obesity, high LDLc, high HbA1c and arteriosclerosis were significantly associated with disc degeneration,” Hangai said.
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Establishing new factors
The study confirms links between HbA1c, arteriosclerosis and disc degeneration — correlations unfounded by previous research, she said. Hangai and colleagues also discovered that HbA1c equal to or greater than 5.5% was related to eroded discs at L5/S1 (P=.0366). Measures for brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity greater than 1700 cm/sec showed significance at the L1/L2 level (P=.0425).
The results also supported the findings of earlier studies identifying age and obesity as risk factors, Hangai said. Participants aged 70 or older showed statistical significance for degeneration at the L1/L2-L4/L5 levels. Of these levels, researchers found the greatest significance at the L2/L3 level (P=.0006).
Participants with a body mass index equal to or greater than 25 kg/m2 correlated with degeneration at the L2/L3, L3/L4 and L5/S1 levels. Researchers found values of P=.0093, P=.0016 and P=.0003,respectively. ot
For more information:
- Hangai, M, Kaneoka K, Kuno S, et al. Risk factors for lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration: a cross-sectional study. #24. Presented at the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine 32nd Annual Meeting. May 10-14, 2005. New York.