Lumbar disc herniation: favourable outcome associated with intake of wine

Recent research indicates that non-smoking and intake of alcoholic beverages, in particular wine, are associated with beneficial effects on several diseases, especially atherosclerosis. The aim of the study was to investigate whether smoking or the intake of different alcoholic beverages are associated with the outcome 2 1/2 years after first-time lumbar disc surgery. The design was a follow-up study, using a questionnaire including a rating scale. All 170 patients consecutively operated upon for a lumbar disc herniation over a 1-year period were clinically examined at the time of the operation and classified according to various social and demographic variables. The main outcome measure, 2 1/2 years after, was the total rating score, i.e. the sum of three equally weighted outcome measures: pain, impairment and self-assessment of the operation result. The questionnaires were completed by 148 patients (87%). The median age of patients was 41 years; 60 of them were women. Fifty-four per cent were smokers and 42% wine drinkers. Logistic regression analysis calculated a fourfold increase in the success rate for wine drinkers. This fourfold odds ratio was not significantly reduced by the following variables: age, sex, social class, household income, smoking habits, employment status or marital status. Smoking could not be shown to be an independent risk factor for the outcome. Intake of wine was found to be associated with a good prognosis after first-time lumbar disc surgery, and this association could not be attributed to the lifestyle characteristics studied.