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Incidence and risk factors for backpack palsy in young Korean soldiers
1Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Armed Forces Capital Hospital, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.
Insights
Backpack palsy (BPP), a cause of brachial plexopathy, affects young Korean soldiers. Low body mass index (BMI) was identified as a significant risk factor for developing BPP.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Military Medicine
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Backpack palsy (BPP) is a frequent cause of brachial plexopathy in military settings.
- Understanding its incidence and risk factors in young soldiers is crucial for prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the incidence of BPP in young Korean soldiers.
- To identify risk factors associated with BPP in this population.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of medical records of Korean military hospitals (2011-2012) for BPP diagnosis.
- Questionnaire survey of healthy military recruits to assess symptoms during marching and compare characteristics.
- Analysis of clinical findings and medical study results.
Main Results:
- The incidence of BPP in Korean soldiers was 29.7 per 100,000 person-years.
- Patients with BPP had a significantly lower body mass index (BMI) compared to healthy recruits.
- Healthy recruits experiencing arm paresthesia or weakness during marching also had a lower BMI.
Conclusions:
- This study reports the incidence of BPP in young Korean soldiers.
- Low BMI is a significant risk factor for backpack palsy.
- Findings can inform preventive strategies for BPP in military training environments.
Objectives:
Backpack palsy (BPP) is a common aetiology of brachial plexopathy in military hospitals. We aimed to determine the incidence and risk factors of BPP in young Korean soldiers.
Methods:
We identified enlisted patients who were diagnosed with BPP from a review of the medical records of all the Korean military hospitals in 2011 and 2012 and investigated their clinical findings and medical study results. To identify risk factors of BPP, we also surveyed, by questionnaire, healthy recruits of a company in a training centre who had just finished night marches. We divided them according to whether they had paresthaesia and/or weakness in their arm(s) during marching and compared their characteristics.
Results:
The incidence of BPP in Korean soldiers was 29.7 per 100,000 person-years (95% CI 17.2 to 24.3). Body mass index (BMI) was significantly lower in patients with BPP than it was in healthy recruits. Among healthy recruits, those who had experienced paresthaesia and/or weakness during marching had a significantly lower BMI than did those who had not.
Conclusions:
We report the incidence of BPP in young Korean soldiers. A low BMI was a risk factor for BPP. These results may be helpful in establishing a strategy for the prevention of BPP in the setting of military training.
