Relationship between Degenerative Disc Disease and Lipid Profiles in Older Adults

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Lumbar degenerative disc disease (LDDD) is associated with obesity; however, there are only a few studies on the relationship between LDDD and the specific risk of obesity, such as dyslipidemia. We aimed to identify the independent association between LDDD and serum lipid profiles in older adults.METHODS: A retrospective case-control study was performed with the patients with LDDD, such as spinal stenosis and lumbosacral disc prolapse, and control patients. Sixty-eight patients with LDDD aged 65–85 years were recruited in the LDDD group. Thirty-seven age- and sex-matched controls without LDDD were also enrolled. Logistic regression analysis was performed after adjusting for age, sex and body mass index to assess the association between LDDD and serum lipid profiles.RESULTS: Total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were significantly higher in the LDDD group. The subjects with abnormal triglyceride level (>150 mg/dL) showed a significant odds ratio (7.274, 95% confidence interval [1.552–34.095], P-value=0.012) for LDDD.CONCLUSION: The study findings suggest that higher total cholesterol level may be associated with the patients with LDDD. Therefore, the association between serum triglyceride level and risk of LDDD must be studied further.