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Racial differences in tendon rupture incidence
B Owens1, S Mountcastle, D White
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Keller Army Hospital, West Point, NY, USA. b.owens@us.army.mil
International Journal of Sports Medicine
|March 16, 2007
Summary
Black U.S. service members have a significantly higher risk of major tendon ruptures, including quadriceps, patellar, and Achilles tendons, compared to their white counterparts. Further research into the underlying risk factors is recommended.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Epidemiology
- Sports Medicine
Background:
- Racial disparities in major tendon injuries are understudied.
- Anecdotal evidence suggests potential differences, but literature is scarce.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of race on the incidence of major tendon ruptures.
- To quantify racial differences in quadriceps, patellar, and Achilles tendon ruptures.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the U.S. Defense Medical Epidemiology Database (DMED).
- Analyzed International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes for tendon ruptures.
- Employed multivariate Poisson regression to control for demographic and service-related factors.
Main Results:
- Black service members showed significantly higher adjusted rate ratios for quadriceps tendon tears (2.89), patellar tendon tears (4.52), and Achilles tendon tears (3.58) compared to white service members.
- All findings were statistically significant with 95% confidence intervals.
Conclusions:
- Black U.S. service members exhibit a notable predisposition to major lower-extremity tendon ruptures.
- Further investigation into the specific risk factors contributing to these racial differences is warranted.
