ArticleBMC musculoskeletal disorders2015
Risk factors for lumbar intervertebral disc height narrowing: a population-based longitudinal study in the elderly.
Article in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 61 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
61 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 91 citations in OpenAlex.
- Extracellular Vesicles as an Emerging Treatment Option for Intervertebral Disc Degeneration: Therapeutic Potential, Translational Pathways, and Regulatory Considerations.Advanced healthcare materials · 2022Pooled it
- The association between pain scores and disc height change following discectomy surgery in lumbar disc herniation patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2021Pooled it
- A Dietary Supplement in the Management of Patients with Lumbar Osteochondrosis: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Study.Nutrients · 2024Trial
- Deletion of aJOR spine · 2026Article
- Reliability of functional imaging in assessing instability of lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Article
- Incidence and Risk Factors for 30- and 90-day Reoperations Following Biportal Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy for Single-Level Lumbar Disc Herniations.Global spine journal · 2026Article
- Intradiscal platelet-rich plasma for discogenic low back pain: a prospective cohort study of early clinical outcomes and quantitative MRI findings.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Article
- CUBD classification: A novel disc height-based grading system for uncovertebral joint degeneration with validated reliability and clinical correlations.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Article
- Percutaneous endoscopic treatment for lumbar disorders as day surgery: A-2-Year Follow-Up retrospective cohort study.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025Article
- Clinical outcomes of unilateral biportal endoscopic discectomy for the treatment of far lateral lumbar disc herniation: a retrospective comparative study.BMC surgery · 2025Article
- Radiological outcomes of static and expandable cage placement in minimally invasive oblique lumbar interbody fusion: a retrospective study.Asian spine journal · 2025Article
- Development and validation of a nomogram for predicting postoperative recurrent lumbar disc herniation after unilateral biportal endoscopic discectomy.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Article
- Hounsfield unit correlates with intervertebral disc degeneration in premenopausal and menopausal women: a radiological study.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Article
- Sagittal morphometry of intervertebral spaces in subaxial cervical region of asymptomatic Chinese.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2024Article
- Factors Associated with Early Postoperative Pain after Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion.Spine surgery and related research · 2024Article
- Correlation between Disc Imaging Observations and Clinical Efficacy after Percutaneous Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy: A 1-Year Follow-up Study.Orthopaedic surgery · 2024Article
- A Clinically Applicable Predictive Score in Lumbar Disc Disease for Formulating a Surgical Plan.Global spine journal · 2024Article
- Progression of vertebral deformity of prevalent vertebral fractures in the elderly: a population-based study.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2024Article
1 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe 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.
methodsFrom 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.
resultsDisc 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.
conclusionsWe 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.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.