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Lumbar disc degeneration more likely in overweight, obese adults

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Dino Samartzis

Adults who are overweight or obese are significantly more likely to develop disc degeneration than adults with a normal body mass index, according to a study published in Arthritis & Rheumatism.

MRI assessments show elevated body mass index (BMI) is associated with an increased number of levels of degenerated discs and greater severity of disc degeneration, including narrowing of the disc space.

“Our research confirms that with elevated BMI there is a significant increase in the extent and global severity of disc degeneration,” study author Dino Samartzis, PhD, stated in a news release. “In fact, end-stage disc degeneration with narrowing of the disc space was more pronounced in obese individuals.”

Samartzis and colleagues performed a population-based cross-sectional study of 2,599 Chinese volunteers with a mean age of 42 years, conducting clinical and radiographic assessment of each one. Participants also underwent sagittal T2-weighted MRIs of the lumbar spine, with the presence, extent and severity of disc degeneration all being assessed in conjunction with radiographic and clinical findings.

The authors of the study reportedly found disc degeneration in 1,890 (72.7%) participants, with BMI being higher in participants who displayed disc degeneration when compared with participants who did not. Elevated BMI was also linked with a significant increase in the number of degenerated levels, the global severity of disc degeneration and end-stage disc degeneration with disc space narrowing.

The authors suggested that with weight gain, physical loading on the disc and/or a chronic low-grade inflammation from the fat cells may play a role in the degeneration.

Reference:

• Samartzis D, Karppinen J, Chan D, et al. The association of lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration on MRI in overweight and obese adults: a population-based study. Arthritis Rheum. 2012. doi: 10.1002/art.33462.

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