Epidemiologic study of lumbar spondylolisthesis in female inhabitantants

Abstract

It has been shown by several surveys that degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis has a high prevalence in females over 40 years of age. In order to assess the ralationship between the general factors peculiar to elderly females and the incidence of lumbar spondylolisthesis we made an epidemiologic study of 1, 245 female inhabitans living in two rural towns by means of a questionnaire and X-ray examinations. The questionnaire was concerned with the experience of low back pain, the number of children borne, and past history of ovariectomy. In lateral view of a lumbar X-ray, the percentage slip, the direction of slip, and the level of slip were investigated. Two hundred and ten females (16.9%) had lumbar spondylolisthesis. One hundred and fifty five females had anterior slip and 50 females had posterior slip. In order of frequency the anterior slip occured at the L4-L5, L3-L4, L5-S1 level and posterior slip occuerd at the L3-L4, L2-L3 level. The incidence of lumbar spondylolisthesis did not increase linearly with the age. Among women in the 50's it increased remarkably after the age of 55. Females with anterior slip had experienced low back pain more frequently than those without it. It was not proved statistically that the occurrence of lumbar spondylolisthesis was associated with the number of children borne and the history of ovariectomy.