The Relationship Between Active and Passive Exposure to Cigarette Smoke and Severe Lumbar Intervertebral Disc Degeneration According to Demographic Data

Abstract

Objective:To investigate the effect of current, former and passive smoking status on degeneration of lumbar intervertebral discs.Method:Three hundred and sixty patients between the ages of 20 and 70 years, who underwent lumbar spinal magnetic resonance imaging, were included in the study. The patients were grouped according to their smoking status as current, former, passive smokers and non-smokers. The cumulative smoking dose for current and former smokers was calculated in terms of pack-years and categorized further into two subgroups: smoked ≤9 pack-years or >9 pack-years. Patients who had been exposed to cigarette smoke for more than one year and more than one hour a day were included in the passive smoker group. The lumbar intervertebral discs were evaluated by the Pfirrmann disc degeneration grading system using sagittal T2-weighted magnetic resonance images. Grades IV and V were considered as “severe disc degeneration”.Results:There was a statistically significant difference between smoking status and gender, age, body mass index and lumbar lordosis angle (p9 pack-years current smoking was found to be significantly associated with L5-S1 disc degeneration (p<0.05).Conclusion:There is a significant relationship between passive smoking and severe disc degeneration at upper lumbar levels. Also it was thought that quitting smoking could reverse some of the negative effects associated with smoking contributing to disc degeneration.

Keywords

• current smoker
• former smoker
• intervertebral disc degeneration
• magnetic resonance imaging
• passive smoker
• smoking