Body Mass Index and its Association with Lumbar Disc Herniation and Sciatica: A Large-Scale, Population-Based Study

Abstract

IntroductionElevated body mass index (BMI) or overweight and obesity are pandemics. Lumbar disc herniation and sciatica occur in every population and present severe socioeconomic consequences. However, little is known regarding the role of BMI with lumbar disc herniation and sciatica. As such, the following large-scale study addressed the association of BMI, in particular overweight and obesity, with disc herniation, its global lumbar involvement and its implications with the development of sciatica.Materials and MethodsA cross-sectional study of 2,596 Southern Chinese (mean age: 42 years; 60% females) was conducted assessing T2-weighted MRI, environmental and lifestyle factors, as well as clinical profiles of sciatica. On imaging, the presence of disc bulge/extrusion (DBE) and other spinal phenotypes from L1-S1 were assessed. Disc degeneration was assessed and graded based on the Schneiderman et al criteria and summated of all levels to produce a degenerative disc disease (DDD) score (potential score ran...