association between covid-19 infection and recurrence of lumbar intervertebral disc herniation after laminectomy and discectomy surgery

Aims: lumbar disc herniation is a common condition that can lead to pain, numbness, and weakness in the legs. the standard treatment involves surgical removal of the herniated disc. however, some patients experience recurrent lumbar disc herniation. this study aimed to investigate the association between covid-19 infection and the recurrence of lumbar disc herniation after laminectomy and discectomy surgery.instrument & methods: this case-control study included 150 patients who underwent lumbar laminectomy and discectomy surgery in yazd county hospitals from 2020 to the first half of 2022. patients were divided into two groups based on the recurrence of lumbar disc herniation; the non-recurrence group (100 patients) and the recurrence group (50 patients). data on covid-19 infection, number of infections, hospitalization, received treatments, and hospital stay duration were collected and analyzed using chi-square, t-test, and anova.findings: a significant association was found between covid-19 infection and lumbar disc herniation recurrence (p=0.03). patients in the recurrence group had a higher prevalence of covid-19 infection (66% vs. 40%), hospitalization due to covid-19 (18% vs. 7%), and treatment with remdesivir (14% vs. 4%) compared to the non-recurrence group. additionally, the number of covid-19 infections was significantly associated with lumbar disc herniation recurrence (p=0.01). further analysis revealed that receiving remdesivir and symptomatic treatments for lumbar disc herniation were significantly associated with recurrence (p=0.02). conclusion: covid-19 infection and its recurrence are associated with the recurrence of lumbar disc herniation.