Implications of Age, Gender and Lumbar Disc Level on Symptomatic Herniated Nucleus Pulposus

Background: A herniated-disc inside the spinal column is a condition applying displacement of nucleus pulposus from intervertebral space causing back pain. Objective: To analyse the association of age, gender and lumbar disc level with herniated nucleus pulposus. Study Design: Retrospective study Place and Duration of Study: Department of Neurosurgery, Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore from 1st January 2011 to 31st January 2020. Methodology: One hundred and twenty patients to investigate association of herniated nucleus pulposus with age, gender and lumbar disc level were enrolled. Patient’s demographic, clinical and radiological assessments were completed for categorizing their condition and level of lumbar disc involvement. Results: There were 72.5% males and 27.5% females with a mean age of 48.6±1.26 years. The study revealed that 72.5% nucleus pulposus herniation cases were within the age group of 51-70 years. L5-S1 is more susceptible to nucleus pulposus herniation (62.5%) followed by L4-L5 (34.2%), L3-L4 (2.5%) and L1-L2 (0.8%). Conclusion: Elderly population with >51 years in males is highly prone for nucleus pulposus herniation with L5-S1 to be most affected lumbar spinal segments. Key words: Nucleus pulposus herniation, Vertebral column level, Lumbar disc level