Risk factors associated to bilateral rotator cuff tears.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Musculoskeletal Health
• Biomedical Research

Background:

• Rotator cuff tears are commonly caused by overuse, micro-traumas, and impingement.
• Metabolic disorders (diabetes, adiposity, hypercholesterolemia), hypertension, smoking, and genetics are known risk factors.
• The prevalence of these risk factors in bilateral versus monolateral rotator cuff tears has not been previously compared.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the prevalence of risk factors in patients with bilateral rotator cuff tears versus monolateral tears.
• To identify factors independently associated with the presence of bilateral rotator cuff tears.

Main Methods:

• 180 patients with symptomatic rotator cuff tears were evaluated using ultrasound for contralateral tears.
• Data collected included age, body mass index (BMI), diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, smoking, and work habits.
• Risk factors were compared between subjects with bilateral and monolateral tears.

Main Results:

• 69 out of 180 subjects (38.3%) had a contralateral rotator cuff tear.
• Higher age, BMI, heavy repetitive work, and diabetes were significantly more prevalent in patients with bilateral tears.
• Multivariate analysis confirmed that these factors were independently associated with a higher probability of bilateral tears.

Conclusions:

• Metabolic risk factors, particularly diabetes, play a more significant role in bilateral rotator cuff tears than in monolateral tears.
• Age, BMI, and occupational factors (heavy repetitive work) are also independently associated with bilateral rotator cuff tears.
• These findings highlight the importance of considering systemic and occupational factors in the management of rotator cuff pathology.