title: Lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration and related factors in Korean firefighters.
abstract: The job of firefighting can cause lumbar burden and low back pain. This study aimed to identify the association between age and lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration and whether the association differs between field and administrative (non-field) firefighters.
  
  
  
  Subjects were selected using a stratified random sampling method. Firefighters were stratified by geographic area, gender, age and type of job. First, 25 fire stations were randomly sampled considering regional distribution. Then firefighters were stratified by gender, age and their job and randomly selected among the strata. A questionnaire survey and MRI scans were performed, and then four radiologists used Pfirrmann classification methods to determine the grade of lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration.
  
  
  
  Pfirrmann grade increased with lumbar intervertebral disc level. Analysis of covariance showed that age was significantly associated with lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration (p<0.05). The value of β (parameter estimate) was positive at all lumbar intervertebral disc levels and was higher in the field group than in the administrative group at each level. In logistic regression analysis, type of job was statistically significant only with regard to the L4-5 intervertebral disc (OR 3.498, 95% CI 1.241 to 9.860).
  
  
  
  Lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration is associated with age, and field work such as firefighting, emergency and rescue may accelerate degeneration in the L4-5 intervertebral disc. The effects of field work on lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration were not clear in discs other than at the level L4-5.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Korea University Ansan Hospital, Ansan, Korea.
authors.forename: Tae-Won
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Korea.
authors.forename: Yeon-Soon
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Junsu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Byun
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jong-In
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Busan Paik Hospital, Inje University, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Kun-Hyung
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Busan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Korea.
authors.forename: Youngki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, Korea.
authors.forename: Han-Soo
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, Korea.
authors.forename: Chul-Gab
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Anyang, Korea.
authors.forename: Young-Jun
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jin-Ha
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyoungsook
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jeong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D061388:Firefighters; D006801:Humans; D055959:Intervertebral Disc Degeneration / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016015:Logistic Models; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000209:etiology; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Degeneration; Firefighter; Intervertebral disc; Occupation