The effect of aspirin on lumbar degeneration: an imaging-based study

Haiyun Niu; Feiyu Zu; Zhenguo Shang; Ze Gao; Dazhuang Miao; Di Zhang

doi:10.3389/fsurg.2024.1515585

The effect of aspirin on lumbar degeneration: an imaging-based study

Front Surg. 2024 Dec 19:11:1515585. doi: 10.3389/fsurg.2024.1515585. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Haiyun Niu^#^{1

2}, Feiyu Zu^#¹, Zhenguo Shang¹, Ze Gao¹, Dazhuang Miao¹, Di Zhang¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Spine Surgery, Hebei Medical University Third Hospital, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei, China.
² Department of Joint Surgery, Hebei Medical University Third Hospital, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to investigate how aspirin influences lumbar degeneration by analyzing the effect of aspirin on patients with low back pain (LBP) and concurrent atherosclerosis.

Methods: Using 1:1 nearest neighbor matching based on propensity score matching (PSM), 73 patients who regularly took aspirin were assigned to the aspirin group, while another 73 patients who did not take aspirin formed the control group. Radiographs were used to measure lumbar lordosis (LL) and intervertebral height index (IHI). Subcutaneous fat tissue thickness (SFTT), paravertebral muscle fat infiltration area (%FIA), cartilage endplate (CEP) Modic changes, and modified Pfirrmann grading scores were performed based on lumbar MRI.

Results: After PSM analysis, confounders between the aspirin and control groups were balanced. A total of 73 pairs of patients were analyzed in this study. The aspirin group showed lower SFTT(L1/2) and a reduced incidence of CEP Modic changes, compared to the control group (both P < 0.05). Additionally, the %FIA and Pfirrmann scores were lower in the aspirin group, particularly in the upper lumbar spine (both P < 0.05). No significant differences were observed in LL and IHI between the aspirin and control groups.

Conclusion: In summary, conservative treatment with aspirin protects against upper lumbar spine degeneration, although its effect on the lower lumbar spine is less pronounced.

Keywords: MRI; aspirin; low back pain; lumbar degeneration; spine.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research was supported by the Youth Science and Technology Project of the Department of Health of Hebei Province (20201046).