Disclosures: Jensen J. Swampillai, DO:

Objective: To test the hypothesis that people with cardiopulmonary disease and lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) with increased blood viscosity are more likely to have sleep-interrupting low back pain.

Design: Case-control study Setting : Private physiatrist office Participants : 21 patients presenting with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) and cardiopulmonary disease were divided into two groups, sleep-interrupting low back pain (n=9) and those without nocturnal pain (n=12).

Interventions: CBC and fibrinogen levels were attained for each patient.

Main Outcome Measures: Two tailed T-test was used to calculate statistical difference between the two groups in regards to gender, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and plasma fibrinogen levels, a direct measure of plasma viscosity.

Results: In those with sleep-interrupting low back pain, fibrinogen was elevated to an average level of 451.4 mg/dL compared to the asymptomatic group, 311.1 mg/dL, with a significant p-value < 0.001 in regards to the two groups. No significant differences were noted between the two groups in regards to hemoglobin, hematocrit, or gender. Conclusions: People with cardiopulmonary disease and lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) with increased blood viscosity (higher fibrinogen levels) are more likely to have sleep-interrupting low back pain. Plasma viscosity likely contributes to neuro-ischemia in this patient population. Further research is warranted to determine potential therapeutic agents for nocturnal low back pain that target plasma viscosity.

Level of Evidence: Level II

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PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/increased-blood-viscosity-its-thickness-and-stickiness-in-the-lumbar-spinal-stenotic-a-potential-contributor-to-nocturnal-low-back-pain-in-patients-with-concurrent-cardiopulmonary-patholog/