Table 2 Patient and clinical characteristics in relation to bacterial positivity
From: Latent infection of low-virulence anaerobic bacteria in degenerated lumbar intervertebral discs
Parameters | n = 77* | Positive culture n = 23* | Negative culture n = 54 | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Age | 50.9 ± 12.1 | 44.7 ± 11.5 | 53.5 ± 11.5 | 0.003 |
Male | 35 | 13 | 22 | 0.203 |
Female | 42 | 10 | 32 | |
Diabetes | 12 | 3 | 9 | 0.979 |
Smoker | 26 | 6 | 20 | 0.352 |
VAS for back | 4.2 ± 1.8 | 4.0 ± 1.7 | 4.2 ± 1.8 | 0.616 |
VAS for leg | 5.1 ± 1.6 | 5.1 ± 1.5 | 5.1 ± 1.7 | 0.989 |
Level of disc culture | ||||
L3/4 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0.250 |
L4/5 | 40 | 14 | 26 | |
L5/S1 | 27 | 5 | 22 | |