Changes in vertebral dimensions in early adulthood – A 10-year follow-up MRI-study

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that vertebral height increases until the early twenties, but very few studies have been conducted on other vertebral dimensions. Growth in vertebral size is believed to take place in elderly age but not in early adulthood. In this study, we wanted to clarify the potential changes in the dimensions of the lumbar vertebrae during early adulthood. We used the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 as our study material, with a final sample size of 375 individuals. We performed lumbar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) when the participants were 20 and 30 years of age (baseline and follow-up, respectively). We recorded the width, depth, height, and cross-sectional area (CSA) of the fourth lumbar vertebra (L4) using the MRI scans. We used generalized estimating equation (GEE) models to analyse the data. Men had 7.6%-26.5% larger vertebral dimensions than women at both baseline and follow-up. The GEE models demonstrated that all the studied dimensions increased during the follow-up period among both sexes (p < 0.001). Men had a higher growth rate in vertebral depth and CSA than women (p < 0.001). Among women, small vertebral width (p = 0.001), depth (p = 0.05) and height (p = 0.02) at baseline were associated with a higher vertebral growth rate during the follow-up than among those with large dimensions at baseline. Among men, small baseline width was associated with higher vertebral growth rate (p = 0.001). Our results clearly indicate that vertebral dimensions increase after 20 years of age among both sexes.

Eating Behavior Traits, Weight Loss Attempts, and Vertebral Dimensions Among the General Northern Finnish Population

“…Vertebral fragility fractures are a typical manifestation of osteoporosis 5,6 , and small vertebral dimensions are a well-established risk factor for vertebral fracturing 3,7 . Interestingly, vertebrae enlarge in size well beyond adolescence 8,9 , and previous studies have associated lifestyle choices in adulthood with midlife vertebral size [10][11][12] . Therefore, further data on the association between lifestylerelated factors and vertebral size across the lifespan may provide valuable tools for fracture risk estimation and fracture prevention.…”

Estimation of stature from dimensions of the fourth lumbar vertebra in contemporary middle-aged Finns

“…We also calculated the sum of the six original measurements, together with the cross-sectional area (CSA = π x (mean width/2) x (mean depth/2)) and volume (V = π x (mean width/2) x (mean depth/2) x (mean height)) of the L4 body (24). We chose L4 because 1) it was most likely to be included within the MRI scanning range, thus being most often measurable, 2) it represents the other lumbar vertebrae well (9,22), and 3) it has been commonly used in previous studies (23,(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30).…”

Longitudinal Analysis of Paraspinal Muscle Cross-Sectional Area During Early Adulthood – A 10-Year Follow-Up MRI Study

“…In 2015–2018, at the age of 29–32, those from the subsample who had undergone the baseline lumbar MRI scan were invited to a follow-up MRI study. A total of 375 representative 21 individuals (43% of those who were originally invited to MRI at baseline) underwent the follow-up scan at a mean age of 30.6 years.…”

“…To assess measurement error and reliability, we analysed the original and repeated measurements by calculating the intra-rater ICC (intraclass correlation coefficient) and TEM (technical error of measurement) in accordance with the previous literature 21,28,29 . The conclusions of the ICC (two-way mixed model with absolute agreement type for single measures) and TEM calculations are presented in the results.…”

“…Previous studies have clearly indicated that the vertebral bone dimensions in the lumbar spine seem to increase between 20 and 30 years of age among both sexes 21 . Like those of bone, the dynamics of muscle mass have a multifactorial basis 22 .…”