2024, Vol. 28 ›› Issue (32): 5091-5096

Correlation between intervertebral disc degeneration and hyperuricemia

Li Yang1, Ma Fei1, Leng Yebo1, 2, Xu Shicai1, He Baoqiang1, Zhou Jiajun1, Liao Yehui1, Tang Qiang1, Tang Chao1, 3, Wang Qing1, Zhong Dejun1   

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Hyperuricemia is a common metabolic disease, and the main clinical manifestation of patients with hyperuricemia is the formation of uric acid crystals leading to gout. Previous studies have only reported that uric acid crystals lead to intervertebral disc degeneration, but there are fewer studies on the correlation between hyperuricemia and intervertebral disc degeneration.
OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively analyze the characteristics of intervertebral disc degeneration in patients with hyperuricemia and the correlation between serum uric acid level and intervertebral disc degeneration.
METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed in all patients diagnosed with intervertebral disc degeneration admitted at the Department of Orthopedics, the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University from January 2021 to December 2022. There were 97 hyperuricemia patients in the hyperuricemia group and 194 non-hyperuricemia patients in the control group according to sex and age in a ratio of 1:2. Blood uric acid test results were collected, and Pfirrmann scoring was performed for the degree of disc degeneration in patients based on the whole spinal MRI images. The difference in the degree of disc degeneration between the two groups was compared, and the correlation between the serum uric acid level and the degree of intervertebral disc degeneration was analyzed.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The Pfirrmann score in the hyperuricemia group was higher than that in the control group, and the total number of disc degeneration in the hyperuricemia group was also significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that the degree of disc degeneration in male patients was positively correlated with serum uric acid level at many spinal segments in the hyperuricemia group (C3/4: r=0.317, C4/5: r=0.333, C5/6: r=0.309, L2/3: r=0.443, P < 0.05); the degree of disc degeneration in female patients was also positively correlated with serum uric acid level (C3/4: r=0.354, C4/5: r=0.388, C6/7: r=0.312, T7/8: r=0.282, T9/10: r=0.305, T11/12: r=0.277, L4/5: r=0.319, L5-S1: r=0.367, P < 0.05). In the control group, there was no significant correlation between the degree of disc degeneration and serum uric acid level in male and female patients (P > 0.05). To conclude, in patients with hyperuricemia, the higher serum uric acid level indicates the more serious intervertebral disc degeneration. Therefore, hyperuricemia is one of the risk factors for intervertebral disc degeneration.

Key words: hyperuricemia, intervertebral disc degeneration, Pfirrmann score, spinal MRI