Degenerative disc disease, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2001-2011.

Degeneration of intervertebral discs is a common disorder that often leads to pain syndromes and mechanical dysfunction of the spine. Between 2001 and 2010, 131,986 active component service members received diagnoses of degenerative disc disease (DDD) during a hospitalization or at least two ambulatory visits (overall crude incidence rate: 951.4 per 100,000 person-years). Annual crude incidence rates more than doubled during the surveillance period (2001: 614.9 per 100,000 p-yrs; 2010: 1347.8 per 100,000 p-yrs). An estimated 68,247 days of lost duty time were attributed to DDD-specific diagnoses. Among service members diagnosed with DDD who subsequently deployed in support of overseas combat operations, more than two-thirds experienced exacerbations of their condition while deployed, although only 1.7 percent were medically evacuated. Deployed service members with DDD were more likely than a deployed comparison group to be medically evacuated for any cause.