PREVALENCE OF EARLY CERVICAL OSTEOCHONDROSIS IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AND ITS EFFECT ON THE ADAPTIVE CAPABILITIES OF THE ORGANISM

The aim is to investigate the adaptive capabilities of the organism during university study on the basis of the analysis of functional changes in central hemodynamics in university students suffering from early cervical osteochondrosis,

Materials and methods. The students selected for the research were divided into groups depending on the severity of radiographic changes in the cervical spine. Group I (n=28) included students with a distortion of spinal statics. The second group (n=36) was represented by students with degenerative-dystrophic processes. Group III (n=17) combined students with radiologically significant changes. For research purposes, a comparison group of practically healthy students was recruited (group IV, n=30). The adaptive potential (AP) was calculated using the R.M. Baevsky method in scores: less than 2.1 — satisfactory adaptation; 2.11–3.2 — stressed adaptation mechanisms.

Results. Male students in the first group are found to manifest mild clinical symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis (ceased within a short period of time), compared to female respondents, who in 23.5% of the cases reported moderately expressed complaints for a prolonged period time. Female students in the groups II and III, manifested the clinico-neurological symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis in 60.9% and 100%, respectively. In the group III students, radiologically significant changes in the cervical spine were accompanied by moderately severe complaints in 75% of cases, with 25% of the students reporting minor complaints. Thus, the differences in cardiohemodynamics are found to correspond to the obtained data on AP, where the greatest stress of adaptation mechanisms was found in students comprising groups I and II.

Conclusion. The present study has allowed us to identify one of the reasons affecting the adaptive capabilities of the organism and, as a result, successful learning and the quality of life of young students. For the prevention of psychosomatic disorders (against the background of circulatory disorders in the vertebrobasilar basin) in the presence of early cervical osteochondrosis, Х-ray examination should be performed.

Conflict of interest: the authors declare no conflict of interest.