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Study Design: A sex- and age-matched case-control study with genotyping of the FokI variant of the vitamin D receptor gene (VDR) was carried out., Objectives: To facilitate the early prediction, prevention, and treatment of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) of the spine, we analyzed the FokI variant of VDR and past body mass indexes, histories of past illness, family history, and body pliability along with lifestyle factors., Summary of Background Data: Many possible genetic and environmental risk factors for OPLL have been suggested, including male sex, high body mass index, diabetes mellitus, trauma, hormonal imbalance, and dietary and sleeping habits and genetic variants., Methods: Both a self-administered questionnaire and whole blood samples were obtained from 63 patients with OPLL and 126 sex-, age-, and hospital-matched controls free of backbone diseases were randomly selected from hospital patients. VDR genotyping was carried out using PCR-RFLP methods. After univariate analysis, multivariate and subgroup analyses according to the VDR genotype was applied to clarify the confounding relationship between VDR genotype and other possible risk factors., Results: A multivariate analysis revealed that the VDR FF genotype, family history of myocardial infarction, high body mass index at age 40, long working hours, and working with night shift to be independent potent risk factors for OPLL., Conclusion: The risk of developing OPLL may possibly be reduced gradually and effectively by removing or minimizing the effect of such lifestyle factors one at a time through targeted preventive intervention.

Background: Although the average age of onset of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the spine (OPLL) is at around 50 years, the onset of the symptoms is insidious and the progression is very slow. The etiology of OPLL has not been elucidated in detail. Previous studies have suggested that a high-salt diet and low consumption of animal protein, glucose intolerance and high body mass are risk factors for OPLL. However, there is little information about the relationship between OPLL and life styles in the prime of life (between 30 and 50 years)., Methods: To facilitate early prediction and prevention of OPLL, we analyzed life styles such as sleeping habit, physical exercise, smoking, alcohol drinking and hangover in subjects in the prime of life. Self-administered questionnaires were obtained from patients with OPLL and their sex- and age-matched controls. Sixty-nine patients diagnosed with OPLL within 3 years previously and 138 sex- and age-matched controls without backbone diseases, randomly selected from participants in a health checkup in a local town, were enrolled., Result: Moderate amount of sleep (6-8 hours vs. 5 hours or shorter and 9 hours or longer; odds ratio [OR] = 0.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.06, 0.54) and a regular sleeping habit (i.e., going to bed and getting up at regular time) (OR=0.44, 95% CI=0.22, 0.90) were associated with a decreased risk of OPLL even after adjusting for other factors. On the other hand, moderate physical exercise (once a week or more v.s. less than once a week: OR=0.97, 95% CI=0.42, 2.26), smoking (OR=1.41, 95% CI=0.67, 2.97), drinking (OR=1.08, 95% CI=0.53, 2.20) and hangover (OR=1.12, 95% CI=0.43, 2.94) in the prime of life showed no correlation with risk of OPLL., Conclusion: Good sleeping habits in the prime of life may decrease the risk of OPLL.

Study Design: A sex- and age-matched case-control study was carried out., Objectives: To facilitate early prediction, prevention, and treatment of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the spine, the authors analyzed histories of past illness, past body mass indexes, and body pliableness by nature, adjusted for other factors considered to be risk factors., Summary of Background Data: The cause of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the spine has not yet been elucidated in detail, although many possible causative factors have been suggested, including gender, diabetes mellitus, trauma, hormonal imbalance, and dietary habits., Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was obtained from 69 patients with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the spine and 138 sex- and age-matched control participants who were free of spinal disease, randomly selected from participants in a health checkup in a town. After univariate analysis, a stepwise method was applied to select significant factors in multivariate analysis., Results: A multivariate analysis revealed that the following three indicators were independent potent risk factors for ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the spine: history of diabetes mellitus, history of lumbago, and maximum body mass index before manifestation > or =25, after adjustment for other possible lifestyle risk factors., Conclusion: Excessive weight gain between 20 and 40 years of age, diabetes mellitus, and lumbago were found to be independent risk factors for ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the spine. Follow-up studies, including the addition of hospital-based control participants and analysis of genetic polymorphisms, will be needed in the future.

The relation between dietary habits and the risk of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligaments of the spine (OPLL) was investigated in a case-control study conducted in Japan from 1998 to 2001. Prevalent OPLL cases (n = 69) were identified and individually matched by age and sex with community controls (n = 138) randomly selected from the general population in Hokkaido. A self-administered food-frequency questionnaire was used to assess habitual dietary intake. The odds ratio (OR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were estimated, using conditional logistic regression models to compute the OR adjusted for a history of diabetes mellitus. We found that frequent consumption of pickles (salted products) was significantly associated with an increased risk of OPLL, with an adjusted OR of 1.6 (95% CI, 1.1 to 2.2). The adjusted OR for nondaily consumers of rice was 3.0 (95% CI, 2.4 to 3.7). Frequent consumption of chicken (adjusted OR, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3 to 0.98) and soy foods (adjusted OR, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.2 to 0.7) was significantly associated with a decreased risk of OPLL. Our findings suggest that dietary habits may constitute independent risk factors for OPLL. Further studies will be needed to prospectively determine the relationship between dietary habits and OPLL risk., (Copyright 2004 Springer-Verlag)