0000000000362241
AUTHOR
Olli Impivaara
Knee osteoarthritis in former runners, soccer players, weight lifters, and shooters.
Objective. To determine the relationship between different physical loading conditions and findings of knee osteoarthritis (OA). Methods. We selected 117 male former top-level athletes (age range 45–68 years) who had participated in sports activities with distinctly different loading conditions: 28 had been long-distance runners, 31 soccer players, 29 weight lifters, and 29 shooters. Histories of lifetime occupational and athletic knee loading, knee injuries, and knee symptoms were obtained, and subjects were examined clinically and radiographically for knee findings of OA. Results. The prevalence of tibiofemoral or patellofemoral OA based on radiographic examination was 3% in shooters, 29%…
Airway obstruction in relation to symptoms in chronic respiratory disease—a nationally representative population study
Abstract We examined the severity of airway obstruction and the occurrence of respiratory symptoms in a large, nationally representative population sample and in a subgroup of subjects with chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema to obtain information for developing national prevention and treatment strategies for these diseases. The study population comprised of 7217 randomly selected subjects (aged 30 years and older) who participated in a comprehensive health examination survey. The ‘cases' were subjects diagnosed as having chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema. The survey methods comprised of questionnaires, interviews, physical measurements, including spirometry, and clinical examinations. I…
Hip fractures and femoral bone mineral density in male former elite athletes
We studied whether vigorous physical activity in young adulthood is associated with higher femoral bone density and lower risk of hip fracture at older age in men.A cohort of former male elite athletes (n=2147) and matched control subjects (n=1467) were studied for their leisure physical activity, and for fragility fractures at the hip (proximal femur) by Cox regression. Areal bone mineral densities (aBMD) at femoral neck and trochanter region were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in a subgroup of the former athletes (n=87; median age 59 years) and in a population-based control group (n=194) and compared by general linear models.After their active sporting careers, the former…
Long-Term Determinants of Muscle Strength Decline: Prospective Evidence from the 22-Year Mini-Finland Follow-Up Survey
Objectives: To examine long-term changes in handgrip strength and the factors predicting handgrip strength decline. Design: Longitudinal cohort study with 22 years of follow-up. Setting: Population-based Mini-Finland Health Examination Survey in Finland. Participants: Nine hundred sixty-three men and women aged 30 to 73 at baseline. Measurements: Handgrip strength was measured using a handheld dynamometer at baseline and follow-up. Information on potential risk factors, namely lifestyle and chronic conditions, and their changes throughout the follow-up were based on health interviews. Results: Based on linear mixed-effect models, midlife physically strenuous work, excess body weight, smokin…