Prevalence of Cervical Radiculopathy and Its Associated Factors Among Patients with Cervical Spondylosis at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia 2023

Background: Cervical radiculopathy is one of the major clinical syndromes of cervical spondylosis (CS), caused by compression of cervical nerve roots. Understanding its prevalence and associated risk factors is important for proper diagnosis and management. Objective: To assess the prevalence and associated factors of cervical radiculopathy among patients with cervical spondylosis at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital from January 2020 to January 2022. Data were collected from 339 medical records of patients diagnosed with cervical spondylosis. Demographic data, clinical characteristics, imaging findings, and lifestyle factors were analyzed using SPSS version 26. Variables with p-values ≤ 0.2 in bivariate analysis were included in multivariate logistic regression. Statistical significance was declared at p ≤ 0.05. Results: Among the 339 patients with degenerative spinal disease, 137 (40.4%) were diagnosed with cervical spondylosis. Of these, 117 (85.4%) had clinical and radiological evidence of cervical radiculopathy. About 38% of the cases involved at C5–C6 and C6–C7 levels. Neural foraminal stenosis (66%), osteophytes (61.3%), and disc herniation (35%) were the most common imaging findings. Factors significantly associated with cervical radiculopathy included female sex (AOR = 2.96, 95% CI: 1.45–6.06, p = 0.003), age 40–59 (AOR = 2.01, CI: 1.16–6.24, p = 0.050), current smoking (AOR = 2.02, CI: 1.84–11.02, p = 0.008), alcohol use (AOR = 2.83, CI: 1.52–10.97, p = 0.000), associated back pain (AOR = 2.85, CI: 1.2–6.97, p = 0.022), and repeated neck injury (AOR = 18.8, CI: 8.2–42.97, p = 0.000). Conclusion: Cervical radiculopathy is highly prevalent among patients with cervical spondylosis. Targeted screening for modifiable risk factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and prevention of repeated neck injuries is essential to reduce the burden.