CVD Risk Factors Predict Risk of Common Musculoskeletal Disorders

THURSDAY, June 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) – Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors are strongly associated with the subsequent development of common musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), according to a study published online June 2 in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Kurt T. Hegmann, M.D., from University of Utah in Salt Lake City, and colleagues assessed the risk of MSDs (e.g., carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, and rotator cuff tendinitis) based on CVD risk scores. Analysis included nine-year prospective data from 1,224 workers in three states.

The researchers found that the adjusted relative risk for developing one or more MSDs increased to 3.90 for those participants with 10-year CVD risk scores >15 percent; the adjusted relative risk was 17.4 for developing four or more disorders.

"It's rare that you see 17-fold risks of diseases," Hegmann said in a statement. "These results tell us that prioritizing cardiovascular health is a key to preventing these musculoskeletal disorders, which can have a debilitating impact on people's quality of life. This is something we and other researchers and medical professionals need to be paying a lot of attention to."

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