Association between serum β-oestradiol and health-related quality of life in postmenopausal women with degenerative lumbar scoliosis.

Abstract

Degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS) is an age-related spinal disease. It is an important cause of low back pain, lower limb painand intermittent claudication, which seriously affects the quality of life of middle-aged and elderly people. This article aims to study the changes in serum oestrogen levels in postmenopausal women with DLS and its relationship. One hundred and sixty-eightpostmenopausal women diagnosed with DLS (DLS group) and 140 healthy postmenopausal women (control group) were recruited. Lumbar spinal bone mineral density (LSBMD) was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometryand a chemiluminescence immunoassay analyser was used to detect serum β-oestradiol (E2) levels. The severity of lower back painwas assessed by the visual analogue scalescore and dysfunction was evaluated by Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). The quality of life was evaluated by Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Diagnostic efficiency was evaluated by the receiver-operating characteristics curve (ROC). LSBMD and the level of E2 in the serum in DLS patients were significantly reduced when compared with the control group. The levels of E2 in the serum of postmenopausal women are reliable for predicting DLS revealed by ROC (p < .001). Serum E2 levels were negatively correlated with Cobb angle, VASand ODIand were positively correlated with LSBMD and SF-36 scores. In postmenopausal women, serum E2 levels in DLS patients are significantly reduced and low levels of E2 are associated with lower bone density and poorer quality of life.