Does High Blood Pressure Have an Effect on Intervertebral Fibrocartilage Histology?

Since the cartilage tissue is fed by the vessels in the surrounding connective tissue, it is a very difficult tissue to repair. Therefore, cardiovascular diseases primarily affect the cartilage tissue. In this study, the possible effects of high blood pressure on discus intervertebralis were examined histopathologically and histomorphometrically. Discus intervertebralis of 13 normotensive and 13 hypertensive patients were compared histopathologically and histomorphometrically. Demographic information of the patients was obtained from the patient registration system of the hospital. Hematoxylin-eosin-stained slices were used for histopathological evaluation. In histological sections, chondrocytes and lacunae diameters were measured at 400x magnification in 10 different areas with a computer morphometric measurement program. Discus intervertebralis of normotensive and hypertensive patients did not differ in terms of chondrocyte count and lacunae diameter. The mean age of hypertensive patients (61.69±13.55) was higher than the mean age of normotensive patients (42±8.84) (p0.05). In this study, it was shown that the discus intervertebralis of normotensive and hypertensive patients who underwent lumbar discectomy were not different in terms of histopathologically and histomorphometrically (in terms of chondrocyte number and lacuna diameter).