title: Risk factors for lumbar intervertebral disc height narrowing: a population-based longitudinal study in the elderly.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The progression of disc degeneration is generally believed to be associated with low back pain and/or degenerative lumbar diseases, especially in the elderly. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively evaluate changes in lumbar disc height using radiographic measurements and to investigate risk factors for development of disc height narrowing of the elderly.
  
  
  METHODS
  From 1997 to 2007, 197 village inhabitants at least 65 years-old who participated in baseline examinations and more than four follow-up examinations conducted every second year were chosen as subjects for this study. Using lateral lumbar spine radiographs of each subject, L1-L2 to L5-S1 disc heights were measured. The subjects were divided into two groups according to the rate of change in disc height: mildly decreased (≤20 % decrease) and severely decreased (>20 % decrease). A stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis was used to select those factors significantly associated with disc height narrowing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Disc height at each intervertebral disc (IVD) level decreased gradually over ten years (p < 0.01, an average 5.8 % decrease of all disc levels). There was no significant difference in the rate of change in disc height among the IVD levels. Female gender, radiographic knee osteoarthritis and low back pain at baseline were associated with increased risk for disc height narrowing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conducted the first population-based cohort study of the elderly that quantitatively evaluated lumbar disc height using radiographic measurements. The risk factors identified in this study would contribute to a further understanding the pathology of disc degeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-174 Edobashi, Tsu City, Mie, 514-8507, Japan. k_akeda@clin.medic.mie-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Akeda
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita City, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan. t-yamada@epistat.med.osaka-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Tomomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, 1611 West Harrison Street, Orthopedic Building 205 J, Chicago, 60612, Illinois, USA. Nozomu_Inoue@rush.edu.
authors.forename: Nozomu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-174 Edobashi, Tsu City, Mie, 514-8507, Japan. meiten@clin.medic.mie-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Akinobu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-174 Edobashi, Tsu City, Mie, 514-8507, Japan. a-sudou@clin.medic.mie-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sudo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D055959:Intervertebral Disc Degeneration / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D011859:Radiography; D012307:Risk Factors