New Approach to Aid in Diagnosing Lower Back Pain Revealed

In a clinical study, scientists have identified a potential new method, based on biochemical profiling of serum for circulating cytokines, that may assist in refining personalized diagnoses of disc diseases and possibly even in distinguishing between severe and mild conditions.

Physicians trying to diagnose low-back pain (LBP) look at many potential causes and unpredictable responses to treatment as LBP can come from any of various causes that can present in similar ways. In a new study, scientists from Feinstein Institute for Medical Research (Manhasset, NY, USA) in collaboration with clinicians from Northwell Health (Manhasset, NY, USA) performed multiplex assays on blood serum samples from 133 participants to examine biochemical profiles of cytokines (and matrix metalloproteinases).


The team, led by Nadeen Chahine, PhD, associate investigator, Feinstein Institute, recruited participants from Northwell Health: from a spine neurosurgery practice (n = 80), a back pain management practice (n = 27), a control cohort (n = 26). Participants with LBP had been diagnosed with intervertebral disc herniation (IDH), spinal stenosis (SS), or degenerative disc disease (DDD), but had not yet begun treatment. The main findings were that serum levels of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) were significantly higher in subjects with LBP compared with control participants, and that participants with SS or DDD had higher levels than those with IDH and controls. Further analysis showed positive correlations between IL-6 levels and BMI, symptom duration, and age.

The team’s findings suggest that patients with LBP have low-grade systemic inflammation and that profiling of circulating cytokines can assist in improving diagnosis of LBP.

"We're very excited by the results of this clinical study and will continue to study cytokine levels in the future," said Dr. Chahine.

The study, by Weber KT et al., was published January 7, 2016, in the journal Arthritis Research and Therapy.

Related Links:
Feinstein Institute for Medical Research
Northwell Health