The Role of Vitamin D3 and Trace Elements of Lumbar Spinal Degeneration in Patients Undergoing Lumbar Spinal Surgery
Sadiq Raheem Karkosh, Manal Kamal Rasheed, Ali Tarik Abdul Wahid
The primary objective of this study is to investigate the levels of vitamin D3, calcium, copper, and zinc. Determine whether preoperative screening for vitamin D3 deficiency and subsequent optimization of levels can improve fusion rates, reduce postoperative complications, and enhance patient satisfaction in spinal surgery patients. The study included 120 participants, ranging in age from 18 to 70 years. Sixty of them had lumbar spine surgery and were diagnosed using MRIs or X-rays, while the other sixty were in good health and acted as a control group. The study was conducted at Ghazi Al-Hariri Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay is used to assess blood D3, while colorimetric methods are used to measure calcium, zinc and copper levels. The study found that patients had significantly lower mean ±SD vitamin D levels compared to healthy individuals ( p-value ≤0.001). further demonstrates that the patient's calcium level was significantly lower than that of a healthy person (p-value <0.001). Moreover, the results showed that patients had significantly higher copper and Cu/Zn ratios than controls (P < 0.001). while copper had a significant positive correlation with the Cu/Zn ratio (r = 0.79, p <0.001). It was shown that lower vitamin D3 and calcium levels can be used as an indicator of lumbar disc degeneration (LDD) in patients with lumbar spinal surgery. It also highlights the importance of pre-operative assessment for optimal surgical outcomes and the potential benefits of vitamin D3 supplementation in preventing osteoporosis and relieving musculoskeletal pain.
Keywords: Low Back Pain, Vitamin D3, Lumbar Spinal Surgery, Ca++, Zinc and Copper
