Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
4
pubmed:dateCreated
2001-5-7
pubmed:abstractText
Cigarette smokers have an increased risk of low back pain which may be caused by disc degeneration and spinal instability, for example. Ischemia, apoptosis, faulty synthesis of disc macromolecules, and an imbalance between disc matrix proteinases and their inhibitors may be involved in the pathogenesis of disc degeneration. Along with degeneration, the primary avascular disc turns vascular. There is some evidence that disc degeneration of cigarette smokers is of more severe degree than that of non-smokers.Cigarette-smoking increases serum proteolytic activity by releasing proteolytic enzymes from neutrophils in alveolar capillaries, and by inhibiting the activity of alpha-1-antiprotease, the most potent protease inhibitor. We hypothesize that the high serum proteolytic activity of cigarette-smokers gets access to a previously degenerated neovascularized disc and speeds up the degerative process. The increased proteolytic activity may also weaken the spinal ligaments resulting in spinal instability. These processes may explain the increased risk of low back pain of cigarette smokers.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Apr
pubmed:issn
0306-9877
pubmed:author
pubmed:copyrightInfo
Copyright 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
56
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
537-9
pubmed:dateRevised
2011-11-17
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2001
pubmed:articleTitle
Smoking and intervertebral disc degeneration.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Neurology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. r.fogel@saunalahti.fi
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article