A research team from Emory University have found one more reason to put out a cigarette: smoking can cause damage to the intervertebral discs in the cervical spine.
The intervertebral discs take up a third of the volume of the spine. Performing a damping function throughout life and ensuring the mobility of the spine, with age, they lose water and as a result, decrease in volume. These degenerative dystrophic changes may cause Cervicalgia (neck pain).
Scientists have found that smoking accelerates the wear and tear of the intervertebral discs, damaging the supply of blood vessels and causing them irreversible changes.
The head of the study, Dr. Mitchell Leavitt also said that poor blood supply to the spine deteriorates further and the flow of blood to the brain, which increases the risk of stroke and, as a consequence, provokes premature death.
The study involved 182 people who computed tomography (CT) was performed. According to CT images, it was found that smokers have a progressive degeneration of the cervical intervertebral disc than nonsmokers.
Dr. Mitchell Leavitt said that now doctors treating patients with dorsopathy, in service, there is another compelling argument to convince the patients to live a healthy lifestyle.
In a previous study, his doctors have linked smoking to degeneration of the intervertebral discs in the lumbar spine. At the same time they found out what smoking is one of the causes of pain in the neck.
The team is not going to stop progress. In the future we plan to conduct new studies to assess the impact of other factors on the occurrence of chronic back pain: diet, alcohol consumption and obesity.
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