Researchers have identified a gene flaw, which is likely to link with disc problems that are one of the common causes of lower back pain.
The study was carried out in UK where the researchers looked at total 4,600 people and found that the PARK2 gene was linked to age-related disc problems.
A third of every middle-aged woman faces problem in at least one spinal at least one spinal disc and the condition is known to be hereditary in approx 80 percent of patients.
According to the researchers, finding the gene could prove helpful in inventing new treatment.
In lumbar disc degeneration (LDD), discs dehydrates and lose height, resulting in the development of bony growth called osteophytes in the vertebrae next to them and this leads to lower back pain.
Researchers from King's College London carried out MRI scans of all the participants of the study and examined the differences in their genetic make-up.
The researchers observed that variants of the PARK2 gene appeared to have an effect in people with degenerated discs and influence the pace at which their condition descended.
The researchers, funded by the Wellcome Trust and Arthritis Research UK, suggested the need of more research to find out how the gene influences the condition.
"It's a promising start," the BBC quoted Prof Alan Silman from Arthritis Research UK as saying.
The details of the study have been published in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases.
-With inputs from ANI
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