The relationship between type Ⅱ diabetes mellitus and lumbar disc degeneration

English Keywords:Lumbar discs degeneration  Diabetes mellitus  Type Ⅱ  Magnetic resonance imaging  Pfirrmann grading system

English Abstract:

  【Abstract】 Objectives: To observe the relationship between type Ⅱ diabetes mellitus(DM) and lumbar discs degeneration(LDD). Methods: During 2013, 390 adults with low back pain in our spine clinic were chosen according to the including criterion. All the patients were divided into the following three groups: non-DM group(n=123), well-controlled DM group(group A; n=140) and badly-controlled DM group(group B; n=127). In group A, 68 patients were with DM duration ≤10 years(group A1), and 72 patients with DM duration ＞10 years(group A2); in group B, there were 60 patients with DM duration ≤10 years(group B1) and 67 patients with DM duration ＞10 years(group B2). Severity of LDD was evaluated by the five-level Pfirrmann grading system. SPSS 19.0 was used to analyze the relationship between type Ⅱ DM and LDD. Results: The data of each group obeying the normal distribution(P＞0.05) and demographic data showed no different between two groups(P＞0.05). From L1/2 to L5/S1, the average Pfirrmann scores between group A1 and non-DM patients showed no difference(P＞0.05); group A2, B1 and B2 showed higher average Pfirrmann scores than non-DM patients(P＜0.05). Group A2 and B2 showed higher average Pfirrmann scores than group A1 and B1(P＜0.05). Group B1 and B2 showed higher average Pfirrmann scores than group A1 and A2(P＜0.05). From L1/2 to L5/S1, the severity of LDD was highly related to DM duration both in group A and B(P＜0.05). Conclusions: DM duration ＞10 years and bad control of DM are the risk factors of LDD, and severity of LDD is highly related to DM duration.