Abstract
Objective To estimate the extent,prevalence and distribution of degenerative changes of lumbar disc and some spinal structural abnormalities in a population of southern China.This study also determined the variation of these abnormalities in different age and gender groups.Methods A total of 1,724 southern Chinese volunteers between 18 and 85 years of age were recruited by open invitation.Radiologic examinations,clinical interviews and physical examinations were administered to all the participants.T2-weighted MRI sequences of the whole spine were obtained.On MRIs,disc degeneration was scored using our new methods.Schmorl nodes,high intensity zones,and marrow changes were assessed for each lumbar segment.Results There was a significant trend for an overall association between Schmorl nodes and gender (higher in men).In chi-square test,Schmorl nodes,marrow changes and HIZ showed a significant positive association with LDD.HIZ and marrow changes showed significant association with age.The distributive sequence of the Schmorl nodes in lumbar decreased from upper to lower,but HIZ was in a reverse order in disc levels.DDD scores showed a significant positive association with BMI.We found no significant difference in D)DD scores between genders.Among the different areas of degeneration,there was a consistent increase in prevalence of LDD from upper to lower disc levels.There were some variations in LDD across sex groups.The prevalence of LDD in younger was high (35.3％ in men and 33.9％ in women).Conclusion Schmorl nodes differed greatly between genders and were not age-related.A high prevalence of LDD existed in this southern Chinese sample.BMI was found to be correlated with LDD.In young adults,degenerative disc findings were relatively common.Men aged 25 to 35 years were more likely to have LDD than women,which we presumed to be due to environmental factors. Key words: Lumbar vertebrae; Intervertebral disc degeneration; Cross-sectional studies; Magnetic resonance imaging
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