Assessment of Individual Radiographic Features of Lumber Disc Degeneration Influenced by Age, Gender and Vertebral Level

F. AL-Jumaily, Hammoodi

	Assessment of Individual Radiographic Features of Lumber Disc Degeneration Influenced by Age, Gender and Vertebral Level
IRAQI JOURNALOF COMMUNITY MEDICINE
Article 1, Volume 26, Issue 2, 2013, Pages 129-136
Author
Hammoodi F. AL-Jumaily
Abstract
Abstract Background: There are few data on the occurrence of lumber degenerative disc disease, while it's epidemiology is poorly understood. Objectives: To study the occurrence of radiographic features of lumbar disc degeneration include Osteophytes ,end-plate sclerosis and disc space narrowing and to determine whether these observed findings influenced by Age ,Gender through the vertebral level . Subjects and Methods :Men and Women aged ≥ 50 years (whether are diseased or accompanied their ill reletives) were recruited in cross-section descriptive study from Fallujah Hospital and Ramadi Teaching Hospital ,Rheumatology Clinics , Anbar ,Iraq, from April 2011 to March 2012 . Participants had lateral spinal radiographs performed according to a standard protocol. The intervertebral disc spaces L1/2 -L5/S1 were evaluated for the presence of Anterior Osteophytes, end-plate sclerosis and disc space narrowing ,using a graded semi quantitative score [Grade 0-3].Lumbar disc degenerative findings were analyzed , frequency distribution rates were calculated , performance of comparison between males and females , in addition to comparison with other studies Results : In all 491 participants ,241 men(49.1%), mean age 60.1years SD ±6.3, range from 50-80 years , and 250 women (51.9%),mean age54 years SD ± 3.2, range from 50-78 years, were studied .Over all , Osteophytes were the most frequent radiographic feature (41.9%) ,and Sclerosis the least frequent (27.4%).Compared women to men, Osteophytes (51.3% vs 40.2% ) ,Sclerosis ( 30.8% vs 24% ) , and disc space narrowing (30.5% vs 25.9% ) .There was no significant increase in the frequency of all three Individual Radiographic Features[IRFs] with Age in women and men .In relation to distribution in the spine ,Osteophytes were most frequent at L2/3(11.8%) in women ,and at L4/5 ,L5/S1 (5.9%,5.8%)respectively in men , Sclerosis at L4/5 (3%) in women and (2.4%) at L4/5 and L5/S1 in men ,whereas disc spaces narrowing were most frequent at L5/S1(8.4%) in women and at L5/S1(9.3%) in men Conclusion: There is variation of radiographic features of lumbar disc degeneration, particularly in regard to gender. These findings provide an important groundwork of the future explanations .Understanding the explanations provide useful clues as to etiology. Keywords: disc degeneration, vertebral level, radiographic features.
Keywords
disc degeneration; vertebral level; radiographic features

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