A study published in The Spine Journal examines the association between tobacco smoking and lumbar spinal stenosis.
The cohort study included 331,941 people from a Swedish nationwide occupational surveillance program for construction workers. The individuals were divided into four categories: never smoked, former smoker, moderate current (one to 14 cigarettes a day) and heavy current (more than 15 cigarettes a day).
Patients who underwent lumbar spinal stenosis surgery were categorized using the relevant International Classification of Diseases disease code from the Swedish National Patient Register.
Here are four key findings from the study:
1. Of the 331,941 participants, 44 percent were non-smokers, 16 percent were former smokers, 26 percent were moderate smokers and 14 percent were heavy smokers.
2. During the follow-up, 30.7 years after initiating the study, 1,623 individuals underwent lumbar spinal stenosis surgical treatment.
3. The incidence of lumbar spinal stenosis was most commonly found in heavy smokers; however, all smoking categories experienced an increase in the occurrence of lumbar spinal stenosis surgery.
4. “Tobacco smoking is associated with an increased incidence of surgically treated [lumbar spinal stenosis]. The effect seems to be dose related, whereby heavy smokers have a higher risk than moderate or former smokers,” study authors concluded.