What is the mortality rate of cervical spondylosis?

Cervical spondylosis is relatively common in our daily life. In recent years, the incidence rate has remained high. Many people don’t know that if cervical spondylosis is not properly treated, it will pose certain risks to life and health. Because cervical spondylosis can easily lead to high blood pressure, it is also related to arteriosclerosis and heart disease. Therefore, after suffering from cervical spondylosis, you must pay attention to it and seek timely treatment to avoid greater harm to your health.

So who are the high-risk groups for cervical spondylosis?

(1) In terms of age: With the increase of age, excessive chronic strain on the cervical spine can cause a series of chronic pathological changes such as degeneration of the intervertebral disc, weakening of elasticity, formation of bone spurs on the edge of the vertebrae, disorder of the small joints, thickening of the ligaments, calcification, etc. Therefore, middle-aged and elderly people are at high risk of cervical spondylosis.

(2) From an occupational perspective: People who work with their heads down for long periods of time or who frequently turn their heads and necks in one direction are also at high risk of cervical spondylosis. These occupations include: office staff, typists, computer operators, accountants, embroiderers, operating room nurses, traffic police, teachers, bank clerks, drivers, people who watch microscopes for a long time, painters, electricians, engravers, car or machinery repairmen, etc. Although the work intensity of these occupations is not very high, due to long-term improper working posture or long-term bowing of the head, the muscles and ligaments behind the neck and other tissues are strained (when the head is bowed, the internal pressure on the intervertebral disc is greater), or the head and neck often tilt to one side causing local strain. If this continues for a long time, it will develop into bone and joint injuries, and eventually lead to cervical spondylosis. The incidence of cervical spondylosis among workers in these occupations is around 59.1%.

(3) In terms of sleeping posture: People who like to sleep with high pillows and have a history of repeated stiff necks are prone to cervical spondylosis. In addition, people who have too many bad postures in daily life, such as lying down to read books or watch TV, are prone to cervical spondylosis.

(4) From the perspective of trauma history: patients with a history of head and neck trauma are prone to cervical spondylosis.

(5) From the perspective of the cervical spine: People with congenital cervical deformities, such as congenital spinal stenosis, congenital vertebral fusion, hypertrophy of the cervical scapula and the transverse process of the seventh cervical vertebra, are prone to cervical spondylosis. In addition, pharyngeal inflammation can sometimes induce cervical spondylosis. How traditional Chinese medicine treats cervical spondylosis is determined by many factors, and usually requires patients to persist in treatment for a long time.

Dangers of cervical spondylosis

1. Swallowing disorder: There is a feeling of obstruction when swallowing and a foreign body sensation in the esophagus. A few people have symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, hoarseness, dry cough, and chest tightness. This is due to the direct compression of the posterior wall of the esophagus by the front edge of the cervical vertebrae, causing esophageal stenosis. It may also be caused by the rapid formation of bone spurs, which causes irritation of the soft tissue around the esophagus.

2. Visual impairment: manifested as decreased vision, eye pain, fear of light, tearing, unequal pupil size, and even narrowing of the visual field and sharp decrease in vision. Some patients may even go blind. This is related to ischemic lesions in the occipital lobe visual center of the brain caused by autonomic nervous system disorders and insufficient blood supply to the vertebral-basilar artery due to cervical spondylosis.

3. Cervical-heart syndrome: It is manifested by precordial pain, chest tightness, arrhythmia (such as cardiac arrest, etc.) and ST segment changes on the electrocardiogram. It is easily misdiagnosed as coronary heart disease. This is caused by the stimulation and compression of the cervical and dorsal nerve roots by cervical bone spurs.

4. Hypertension and cervical spondylosis: It can cause high or low blood pressure, among which high blood pressure is more common, which is called "cervical hypertension". Since cervical spondylosis and hypertension are common diseases among middle-aged and elderly people, the two often coexist.

5. Chest pain: It manifests as slow-onset, persistent unilateral pectoralis major and breast pain. There is tenderness in the pectoralis major muscle during examination. This is related to compression of the C6 and C7 nerve roots by cervical bone spurs.

6. Paralysis of the lower limbs: Early symptoms include numbness, pain, and lameness of the lower limbs. Some patients feel like they are walking on cotton when walking. Some patients may also have bowel and urination disorders, such as frequent urination, urgency, difficulty urinating, or incontinence. This is because the lateral vertebral bundle is stimulated or compressed by the cervical spurs, leading to lower limb movement and sensory disorders.

7. Cataplexy: It often occurs when the patient loses support due to a sudden turn of the head while standing or walking. The patient will wake up quickly after falling to the ground without any disturbance of consciousness or sequelae. Such patients may have symptoms of autonomic dysfunction such as dizziness, nausea, vomiting, sweating, etc. This is because the proliferative changes of the cervical vertebrae compress the vertebral artery, causing obstruction of blood supply to the basilar artery, leading to temporary cerebral ischemia.