The increasing incidence and difference in sex distribution of Achilles tendon rupture in Finland in 1987–1999
T Nyyssönen, P Lüthje… - Scandinavian Journal of …, 2008 - journals.sagepub.com
T Nyyssönen, P Lüthje, H Kröger
Scandinavian Journal of Surgery, 2008•journals.sagepub.comBackground and Aims: There have been reports about the increasing number of Achilles
tendon ruptures. The most of the reports are based on records in a few hospitals only. We
wanted to verify the increasing trend by investigating the epidemiology of Achilles tendon
rupture in a very large population. Material and Methods: The retrospective data was
collected from 1987 to 1999 in finnish National Hospital Discharge Register. The study
includes 7 375 tendon rupture patients. We recorded their age, gender, home district and the …
tendon ruptures. The most of the reports are based on records in a few hospitals only. We
wanted to verify the increasing trend by investigating the epidemiology of Achilles tendon
rupture in a very large population. Material and Methods: The retrospective data was
collected from 1987 to 1999 in finnish National Hospital Discharge Register. The study
includes 7 375 tendon rupture patients. We recorded their age, gender, home district and the …
Background and Aims
There have been reports about the increasing number of Achilles tendon ruptures. The most of the reports are based on records in a few hospitals only. We wanted to verify the increasing trend by investigating the epidemiology of Achilles tendon rupture in a very large population.
Material and Methods
The retrospective data was collected from 1987 to 1999 in finnish National Hospital Discharge Register. The study includes 7 375 tendon rupture patients. We recorded their age, gender, home district and the date of admission in a hospital.
Results
The incidence of operatively treated Achilles tendon rupture was 11.2/105. The number of the patients was increasing particularly in the old age-groups. The change during the study period was statistically significant (p=0.015). The females with a tendon rupture were on average 2–3 years older than men (p<0.01). The urban areas around the capital city had a higher occurrence of tendon ruptures than the rural areas (p<0.05).
Conclusion
The number of Achilles tendon ruptures is increasing, but the reasons for this remain unknown. The geographical variations in rupture rate might indicate the role of the urban life-style as a risk factor. One reason for the differences between the men and the women might be the different level of the sport activities, especially ball-games.
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