BIOCHEMICAL-CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH THE SYMPTOMATIC HUMAN INTERVERTEBRAL-DISK

Significant changes in disk biochemistry were evident in the nuclei pu lposi of 25 symptomatic disks that demonstrated abnormal diskography. Compared with the results from ten normal disk from young subjects (me an age, ten years) and from ten asymptomatic disks from adult patients (mean age, 33 years), the symptomatic disks demonstrated significantl y greater collagen content than the young and asymptomatic adult subje cts, respectively. Significantly fewer total glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and significantly less water content were also evident for the diseas ed disks. The mean pH of the nucleus pulposus from 23 patients was als o significantly reduced for the symptomatic disks as compared with the mean pH measured for four asymptomatic adult subjects. Although signi ficantly fewer total GAGs were observed for the symptomatic disks, the re were no significant differences in the percent composition of hyalu ronic acid (HA), chonroitin sulfate (CS), or keratan sulfate (KS) amon g the normal and symptomatic disks. Significant changes in disk bioche mistry are associated with the symptomatic disk, and these changes cou ld contribute to the development of the painful disk syndrome.