Influence of lifestyle characteristics and VDR polymorphisms as risk factors for intervertebral disc degeneration: a case–control study

Abstract

The findings suggested that smoking habits was a risk factor for disc degeneration in the population studied. Single analysis revealed no significant effects of VDR polymorphisms in disc degeneration process, while the combination of wild-type alleles of TaqI, ApaI and FokI polymorphisms, TGT haplotype, decreased the risk of the disease.