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Posted on May 25, 2018, 12 a.m.
Researchers have reported that ⅓ of people in the age grouping of 40-59 years of age have image based evidence of moderate to severe levels of degenerative disc disease and that more than half had moderate to severe levels of spinal osteoarthritis, as published in The Spine Journal.
Prevalence of disc height narrowing and joint osteoarthritis has increased 2 fold in individuals in the age grouping of 60-69, and has increased 4 fold in individuals in the age grouping of 70-89 years of age. The progression of these conditions were observed to have occurred 40-70% more frequently in women than in men.
Researchers discovered these results using CT scans which were taken 6 years apart within a cohort of 1200 members from the Framingham Study dating back to the 1940s, to evaluate severity of disc disease and spinal osteoarthritis.
Among older adults pain, decreased function, and rising healthcare costs are caused by degenerative spinal conditions such as disc height narrowing and joint osteoarthritis. Relatively little is known in regards to frequency and progression of spinal degenerative disease despite the clinical importance, which is why the team conducted this study to describe the progression and prevalence in a population based cohort, according to the researchers.
Materials provided by Hebrew SeniorLife Institute for Aging Research.
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Journal Reference:
Mohamed Jarraya, Ali Guermazi, Amanda L. Lorbergs, Elana Brochin, Douglas P. Kiel, Mary L. Bouxsein, L. Adrienne Cupples, Elizabeth J. Samelson. A longitudinal study of disc height narrowing and facet joint osteoarthritis at the thoracic and lumbar spine, evaluated by computed tomography: the Framingham Study. The Spine Journal, 2018; DOI: 10.1016/j.spinee.2018.04.010
