Affiliations: [a] Department of Neurosurgery, Harran University Faculty of Medicine, Sanliurfa, Turkey | [b] Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harran University Faculty of Medicine, Sanliurfa, Turkey | [c] Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Harran University Faculty of Medicine, Sanliurfa, Turkey | [d] Department of Neurosurgery, Malatya State Hospital, Malatya, Turkey | [e] Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Nusaybin State Hospital, Mardin, Turkey | [f] Department of Internal Medicine, Harran University Faculty of Medicine, Sanliurfa, Turkey
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Alparslan Yetisgin, Harran University Medical School Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Yenisehir Kampusu, 63300, Sanliurfa, Turkey. Tel.: +90 4143183123; Fax: +90 4143183356; E-mail:dra_yetisgin@yahoo.com
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Chronic inflammation is believed to have a role in the
development of lumbar disc herniation (LDH). Ceruloplasmin (CP), an acute
phase protein, is known to limit inflammation. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate CP levels in patients with LDH. METHODS: Thirty-five patients with LDH and 35 healthy individuals
were enrolled in the study. Participants were divided into two groups; group
1 (n = 35) consisted of patients with LDH, and group 2 (n = 35) consisted of
healthy subjects. Surgery specimens were taken from all patients who
underwent LDH-related surgery. CP levels were measured in both blood and
tissue samples. Pain intensity was evaluated using a visual analog scale
(VAS). RESULTS: There were no significant differences in gender, age, or
body mass index between the control and LDH patients (p > 0.05 for all).
Compared with the control patients, LDH patients had significantly higher
serum CP levels (p < 0.001). In LDH patients, tissue CP levels were
significantly higher than serum levels (p < 0.001). According to bivariate
analysis, the serum CP levels were significantly correlated with the VAS
score in group 1 (r = 0.491, p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed that CP levels increased in
both the serum and the tissues of patients with LDH compared to patients
without LDH, possibly as a consequence of LDH-associated inflammation.
