Smoking may worsen degenerative disc disease in the cervical spine

Research recently presented at the Association of Academic Physiatrists Annual Meeting shows smoking may be connected to worsening degenerative disc disease in the cervical spine.

Mitchel Leavitt, MD, a resident physician at Emory University’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and colleagues evaluated the CT scans of 182 consecutive patients, of which 34% were smokers. The researchers rated each disc as normal (no loss of disc height), mild (1% to 33% loss of height), moderate (34% to 66% loss of height) or severe (greater than 66% loss of height), according to a press release from the Association of Academic Physiatrists. Scores of 0 (normal) to 3 (severe) were given for each disc, according to a release.

Current smokers, Leavitt and colleagues wrote in the study, were found to have 1 point more cervical degenerative disc disease on average compared with non-smokers. Researchers found that increased age also worsened cervical degenerative disc disease, but hypertension, high cholesterol and high BMI were not associated with the disease.

“This is another example of the detrimental effects of smoking. Tobacco abuse is associated with a variety of diseases and death, and there are lifestyle factors associated with chronic neck pain,” Leavitt said in the release. “Pain and spine clinics are filled with patients who suffer chronic neck and back pain, and this study provides the physician with more ammunition to use when educating them about their need to quit smoking.”

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