Incidence of Achilles tendon rupture: 25-year regional analysis with a focus on bilateral ruptures

Abstract

Objective We aimed to fill the research gap regarding the incidence of Achilles tendon rupture (ATR), which is reportedly increasing, as there is a lack of data on the incidence of ATR and no data on bilateral ruptures in our region. Methods We determined the incidence of complete ATR among 273,485 people during 1991 to 2015. Results In the study period, 524 patients (486 [92.75%] men and 38 [7.25%] women, average age 39.03±10.86 [range 20–83] years, = sex ratio 12.8:1) were treated for ATR in our study area. The average incidence was 7.77 per 100,000 person-years, with an increasing trend until 2008 and peak incidence of 11.33 per 100,000 person-years. Most injuries (67.04%) occurred while performing sports activities. In total, 7 (1.34%) patients (six men [1.23%] and one woman [2.63%]) experienced ruptures on both sides, an average of 5.1 years apart; the average age at the second rupture was 57.71±16.69 (range 39–83) years, with a calculated incidence for bilateral ATR of 0.1 per 100,000 person-years. Conclusions The incidence of complete ATR in our study region increased gradually between 1991 and 2008, after which it declined. Bilateral ATR during that period was a very rare injury.