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Atherosclerosis and disc degeneration/low-back pain--a systematic review

L I Kauppila1

  • 1Terveystalo Healthcare, Helsinki, Finland. leena.kauppila@fimnet.fi

European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery : the Official Journal of the European Society for Vascular Surgery
|March 31, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Atherosclerosis in abdominal aorta arteries is linked to disc degeneration and low-back pain. Cardiovascular risk factors show weaker associations, particularly in larger or older populations.

Area of Science:

  • Vascular Biology and Medicine
  • Musculoskeletal Disorders
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Atherosclerosis can affect arteries supplying the lumbar spine, potentially causing back problems.
  • Diminished blood flow to the spine may contribute to disc degeneration and low-back pain.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review existing literature on the association between atherosclerosis and lumbar disc degeneration (DD) or low-back pain (LBP).

Main Methods:

  • Systematic search of Medline/PubMed database up to October 2008.
  • Inclusion of observational studies investigating atherosclerosis, its risk factors, and lumbar DD/LBP.
  • Data extraction included study characteristics, findings, and consideration of disc herniation as DD and risk factors as surrogates for atherosclerosis.

Main Results:

  • 25 papers were included from 179 identified.
  • Post-mortem studies linked aortic atheromatous lesions and occluded lumbar arteries to DD and LBP.
  • Clinical studies found aortic calcification and lumbar artery stenosis associated with LBP and DD. Smoking and high cholesterol showed consistent associations with DD and LBP in epidemiological studies.

Conclusions:

  • Atherosclerosis affecting the lumbar spine's arteries is associated with disc degeneration and low-back pain.
  • Cardiovascular risk factors showed weaker associations, more evident in elderly or large cohorts.
  • Further prospective clinical studies are necessary to fully elucidate the link between atherosclerosis and low-back disorders.
Abstract

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