Cervical spine pathology is becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide in light of an aging population, and is associated with significant morbidity.[4]Waheed MA, Hasan S, Tan LA, et al. Cervical spine pathology and treatment: a global overview. J Spine Surg. 2020 Mar;6(1):340-50.
https://jss.amegroups.org/article/view/4882/html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32309671?tool=bestpractice.com
In 2017, it was estimated that more than a quarter of a billion people globally experienced neck pain, with an estimated incidence rate of over 65 million new cases per year worldwide.[5]GBD 2017 Disease and Injury Incidence and Prevalence Collaborators. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 354 diseases and injuries for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet. 2018 Nov 10;392(10159):1789-858.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)32279-7/fulltext
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30496104?tool=bestpractice.com
Population-based studies show that approximately 80% to 90% of people have disk degeneration on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) by the age of 50 years.[6]Brinjikji W, Luetmer PH, Comstock B, et al. Systematic literature review of imaging features of spinal degeneration in asymptomatic populations. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2015 Apr;36(4):811-6.
https://www.ajnr.org/content/36/4/811.long
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25430861?tool=bestpractice.com
[7]Teraguchi M, Yoshimura N, Hashizume H, et al. Prevalence and distribution of intervertebral disc degeneration over the entire spine in a population-based cohort: the Wakayama Spine Study. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2014 Jan;22(1):104-10.
https://www.oarsijournal.com/article/S1063-4584(13)01002-9/fulltext
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24239943?tool=bestpractice.com
Between 2006 and 2012 in the US, it was estimated that the annual incidence of cervical spine degeneration increased by approximately 1 per 1000 people in one retrospective study which included 3,156,215 people.[8]Buser Z, Ortega B, D'Oro A, et al. Spine degenerative conditions and their treatments: national trends in the United States of America. Global Spine J. 2018 Feb;8(1):57-67.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2192568217696688
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29456916?tool=bestpractice.com
One narrative review reported that the estimated incidence of degenerative cervical myelopathy is at least 41 per million people in North America.[9]Nouri A, Tetreault L, Singh A, et al. Degenerative cervical myelopathy: epidemiology, genetics, and pathogenesis. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2015 Jun 15;40(12):E675-93.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25839387?tool=bestpractice.com
[10]Badhiwala JH, Ahuja CS, Akbar MA, et al. Degenerative cervical myelopathy - update and future directions. Nat Rev Neurol. 2020 Feb;16(2):108-24.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31974455?tool=bestpractice.com
The estimated incidence of cervical spine radiculopathy was reported as ranging from 0.832 to 1.79 per 1000 person years, with prevalence ranging from 1.21 to 5.8 per 1000 person years, by one systematic review.[11]Mansfield M, Smith T, Spahr N, et al. Cervical spine radiculopathy epidemiology: a systematic review. Musculoskeletal Care. 2020 Dec;18(4):555-67.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32710604?tool=bestpractice.com
Evidence suggests that degenerative cervical spine disease is more prevalent in women than in men with one retrospective study reporting incidence rates of 37.6 per 1000 in women compared with 25.2 per 1000 in men.[8]Buser Z, Ortega B, D'Oro A, et al. Spine degenerative conditions and their treatments: national trends in the United States of America. Global Spine J. 2018 Feb;8(1):57-67.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2192568217696688
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29456916?tool=bestpractice.com