Associations of White Blood Cell Counts and Cytokine Levels with Lumbar Disc Degeneration Pre- and Post-Spine Surgery: A Retrospective Analysis from a Single Center

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the associations between white blood cell (WBC) counts, Monocytes, Neutrophils, cytokine levels including IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12P70, IL-17, IFN-α, IFN-γ, and TNF-α, and lumbar disc degeneration before and after spine surgery. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on a cohort of 131 patients diagnosed with disc degeneration disease, comprising 62 males and 69 females. Parameters assessed included age, BMI, WBC counts, and cytokine concentrations. Cumulative grade was ascertained by aggregating the Pfirrmann grades for all lumbar spine intervertebral discs. The severity of disc degeneration was grouped according to the median score of the population. The corresponding T-test or William rank sum test was used to assess differences between groups. Results: Prior to surgery, females exhibited a higher age, greater Pfirrmann score (20.3±0.41), and elevated IL-8 level (31.3±12.22) compared to males. Patients with a higher cumulative Pfirrmann score (≥19) were characterized by advanced age (68.52±0.90), elevated counts of monocytes (0.49±0.02), WBC (6.40±0.23), neutrophils (4.02±0.19), and reduced IL-12p70 concentration (25.83±7.32). On the third post-operative day, significant changes were observed in monocytes, WBC, neutrophils, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and IL-12p70 levels, with no discernible variation related to the Pfirrmann score. Among the assessed cytokines, only IL-6 exhibited a significant correlation (r=0.20, p=0.02) with the increase in monocytes. Conclusion: Monocytes, neutrophils, WBC counts, and IL-12p70 were intricately associated with the grade of disc degeneration. Furthermore, the third day post-surgery saw surges in monocytes, neutrophils, WBC, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10, with only IL-6 presenting a notable correlation with the elevation in monocytes.