Influence of diabetes mellitus on cervical intervertebral disc herniation

Objectives: To establish if patients treated surgically for cervical disc disease have an increased incidence of diabetes mellitus. Patients and Methods: We prospectively studied 66 consecutive patients who were treated surgically for cervical disc disease and compared them with 100 age-matched patients at the same time period who underwent surgery for other reasons. Results: There was a significantly increased incidence of diabetes mellitus in the first group. This increased incidence was even higher than that in historical controls treated surgically for lumbar disc disease. Short-term postoperative prognosis was good in our patients. We describe the relationship between diabetes mellitus and cervical disc disease. Conclusion: There is an increased incidence of diabetes among patients undergoing surgery for cervical disc disease. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.