Objective To investigate the correlation between pain induced by lumbar disc herniation (LDH) and the level changes of tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Method LDH patients (n=90) were classified into three grades
including grade of serious
moderate and mild. The level of TNF were detected with flow cytometry in 90 LDH patients and 35 normal people respectively. Result The TNF level was (15.62±7.28) ng/L in patients with serious pain
(12.23±6.17) ng/L in patients with modarate pain
and (10.11±5.36) ng/L in patients with mild pain. The TNF level was (4.23±3.77) ng/L in normal people. The difference was significant greatly (P<0.01). Conclu- sion The pain is correlated to TNF level in the LDH patients. The TNF level is higher with more serious pain.