BACKGROUND:The relationship between pathological changes of lumbar disc degeneration and lumbar bone mineral density is still controversial.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the relationship between lumbar disc degeneration and lumbar bone mineral density in middle-aged and elderly men and postmenopausal women.METHODS:This study enrolled 208 patients with lumbar disc degeneration,including 64 middle-aged and elderly males and 144 postmenopausal females,with a mean age of(62.10+7.74)years and a mean body mass index of(24.71±3.50)kg/m2,who admitted at the Department of Orthopedics of Zhengdong Hospital,the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 1,2018 to January 1,2019.The bone mineral density of L1-L4 was measured using a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry.Magnetic resonance imaging was taken to grade the severity of lumbar disc degeneration in each segment.The correlation between lumbar bone mineral density and lumbar disc degeneration was evaluated by Spearman correlation analysis.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The lumbar bone mineral density of both middle-aged and elderly men and postmenopausal women increased with the lowering of lumbar spine segments,and the L1-L4 bone mineral density and the average lumbar bone mineral density of middle-aged and elderly men were higher than those of postmenopausal women(P＜0.05).The lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration of both middle-aged and elderly men and postmenopausal women increased with the lowering of lumbar spine segments,and there was no significant difference in the grades of lumbar disc degeneration of the same segments in middle-aged and elderly men and postmenopausal women(P＞0.05).Spearman correlation analysis showed that there were sex differences in the correlation between the lumbar disc degeneration grade and the adjacent vertebral bone mineral density in each segment(L1-L4).The lumbar disc degeneration grade of each segment was positively correlated with the adjacent vertebral bone mineral density in postmenopausal women(P＜0.05),and the correlation between the disc degeneration grade and the lower vertebral bone mineral density was higher than that between the disc degeneration grade and the upper vertebral bone mineral density.However,there was no correlation between lumbar disc degeneration grade of each segment and the adjacent vertebral bone mineral density in middle-aged and elderly men(P＞0.05).To conclude,the grade of lumbar disc degeneration is positively correlated with adjacent vertebral bone mineral density in postmenopausal women and the correlation coefficient of adjacent lower vertebral body is higher,but no significant correlation is found in middle-aged and elderly men.

BACKGROUND:The relationship between pathological changes of lumbar disc degeneration and lumbar bone mineral density is still controversial.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the relationship between lumbar disc degeneration and lumbar bone mineral density in middle-aged and elderly men and postmenopausal women.METHODS:This study enrolled 208 patients with lumbar disc degeneration,including 64 middle-aged and elderly males and 144 postmenopausal females,with a mean age of(62.10+7.74)years and a mean body mass index of(24.71±3.50)kg/m2,who admitted at the Department of Orthopedics of Zhengdong Hospital,the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 1,2018 to January 1,2019.The bone mineral density of L1-L4 was measured using a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry.Magnetic resonance imaging was taken to grade the severity of lumbar disc degeneration in each segment.The correlation between lumbar bone mineral density and lumbar disc degeneration was evaluated by Spearman correlation analysis.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The lumbar bone mineral density of both middle-aged and elderly men and postmenopausal women increased with the lowering of lumbar spine segments,and the L1-L4 bone mineral density and the average lumbar bone mineral density of middle-aged and elderly men were higher than those of postmenopausal women(P＜0.05).The lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration of both middle-aged and elderly men and postmenopausal women increased with the lowering of lumbar spine segments,and there was no significant difference in the grades of lumbar disc degeneration of the same segments in middle-aged and elderly men and postmenopausal women(P＞0.05).Spearman correlation analysis showed that there were sex differences in the correlation between the lumbar disc degeneration grade and the adjacent vertebral bone mineral density in each segment(L1-L4).The lumbar disc degeneration grade of each segment was positively correlated with the adjacent vertebral bone mineral density in postmenopausal women(P＜0.05),and the correlation between the disc degeneration grade and the lower vertebral bone mineral density was higher than that between the disc degeneration grade and the upper vertebral bone mineral density.However,there was no correlation between lumbar disc degeneration grade of each segment and the adjacent vertebral bone mineral density in middle-aged and elderly men(P＞0.05).To conclude,the grade of lumbar disc degeneration is positively correlated with adjacent vertebral bone mineral density in postmenopausal women and the correlation coefficient of adjacent lower vertebral body is higher,but no significant correlation is found in middle-aged and elderly men.