Effects of type 1 diabetes mellitus on lumbar disc degeneration: a retrospective study of 118 patients

Abstract

BackgroundThe study aimed to investigate the correlation between type 1 diabetes (T1D) and lumbar disc degeneration (LDD).MethodsA retrospective analysis of 118 patients with T1D recruited from January 2014 to March 2019 was performed, and multivariate logistic regression was used to analyse the incidence of T1D; the age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) of the patients; the disease duration and the glycosylated haemoglobin and venous blood glucose levels. All patients who suffered low back pain were assessed by MRI using the Pfirrmann grading system.ResultsA total of 118 patients with an average age of 36.99 ± 17.01 (8–85 years) were reviewed. The mean hospitalization duration, venous glucose fluctuation range, glycated haemoglobin level, highest venous glucose level, venous glucose level, and disease course duration were 13.98 ± 10.16 days, 14.99 ± 5.87 mmol/L, 9.85 ± 2.52 mmol/L, 25.29 ± 7.92 mmol/L, 13.03 ± 5.75 mmol/L and 7.30 ± 8.41 years. The average Pfirrmann scores of the different discs were 2.20 ± 0.62 (L1–2), 2.35 ± 0.67 (L2–3), 2.90 ± 0.45 (L3–4), 4.20 ± 0.52 (L4–5) and 4.10 ± 0.72 (L5–S1). The patients with T1D showed severe disc degeneration. The male sex, glycosylated haemoglobin, venous glucose and venous glucose fluctuations were significantly associated with LDD (P < 0.05).ConclusionsGlycosylated haemoglobin, the male, venous glucose and the venous glucose fluctuation range were risk factors for LDD.