Metabolic Syndrome Components Are Associated with Intervertebral Disc Degeneration: The Wakayama Spine Study

PLoS One. 2016 Feb 3;11(2):e0147565. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147565. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Objective: The objective of the present study was to examine the associations between metabolic syndrome (MS) components, such as overweight (OW), hypertension (HT), dyslipidemia (DL), and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and intervertebral disc degeneration (DD).

Design: The present study included 928 participants (308 men, 620 women) of the 1,011 participants in the Wakayama Spine Study. DD on magnetic resonance imaging was classified according to the Pfirrmann system. OW, HT, DL, and IGT were assessed using the criteria of the Examination Committee of Criteria for MS in Japan.

Results: Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that OW was significantly associated with cervical, thoracic, and lumbar DD (cervical: odds ratio [OR], 1.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.92-1.78; thoracic: OR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.24-2.51; lumbar: OR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.06-3.48). HT and IGT were significantly associated with thoracic DD (HT: OR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.09-2.18; IGT: OR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.12-2.48). Furthermore, subjects with 1 or more MS components had a higher OR for thoracic DD compared with those without MS components (vs. no component; 1 component: OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.03-2.42; 2 components: OR, 2.60; 95% CI, 1.62-4.20; ≥3 components: OR, 2.62; 95% CI, 1.42-5.00).

Conclusion: MS components were significantly associated with thoracic DD. Furthermore, accumulation of MS components significantly increased the OR for thoracic DD. These findings support the need for further studies of the effects of metabolic abnormality on DD.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Biomarkers
  • Blood Pressure
  • Dyslipidemias
  • Female
  • Glucose Intolerance
  • Humans
  • Hypertension
  • Intervertebral Disc Degeneration / diagnosis
  • Intervertebral Disc Degeneration / epidemiology
  • Intervertebral Disc Degeneration / etiology*
  • Male
  • Metabolic Syndrome / complications*
  • Metabolic Syndrome / epidemiology
  • Middle Aged
  • Odds Ratio
  • Overweight
  • Prevalence
  • Spine / metabolism
  • Spine / pathology
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Biomarkers

Grants and funding

This study was supported by H23-Choujyu-002 (Director, Toru Akune), H-25-Choujyu-007 (Director, Noriko Yoshimura), H25-Nanchitou (Men)-005 (Director, Sakae Tanaka), 201417014A (Director, Noriko Yoshimura), and H22-Choujyu-Wakate-007 (Director, Shigeyuki Muraki) from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare; a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B26293139, B23390172 to Noriko Yoshimura, B2629333, C20591774 to Shigeyuki Muraki, C26462249 to Hiroshi Hashizume, C25462305 to Hiroshi Yamada) and a Grant-in-Aid for Young Researcher (B25860448 to Yuyu Ishimoto, B26861286 to Masatoshi Teraguchi, B26860419 to Ryohei Kagotani, B15K20013 to Hiroki Iwahashi), and Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research (15K15219 to Noriko Yoshimura, 26670307 to Shigeyuki Muraki, 24659666 to Hiroyuki Oka, 25670293 to Toru Akune) of JSPS KAKENHI grant; a Grant from the Japanese Orthopaedics and Traumatology Foundation, Inc. (No. 287) to Masatoshi Teraguchi; and Collaborating Research with NSF 08033011- 00262 (Director, Noriko Yoshimura) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan. This study was also supported by grants from the Japan Osteoporosis Society (Noriko Yoshimura, Shigeyuki Muraki, Hiroyuki Oka, and Toru Akune), a grant from JA Kyosai Research Institute (Hiroyuki Oka), a grant from Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Welfare Foundation (Shigeyuki Muraki), and research aid from the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA-Subsidized Science Project Research 2006-1 & 2010-2; Director, Hiroshi Kawaguchi).