The increasing incidence and difference in sex distribution of Achilles tendon rupture in Finland in 1987-1999

Abstract

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.