Hip osteoarthritis in a rural male population: A prospective population-based register study

Objectives A cohort of rural men with urban referents was followed over 13 years to study the risk of developing osteoarthritis of the hip joint. Methods A group of 1,220 farmers, 1,130 matched rural non‐farming men, and 1,087 urban men were identified in 1989 and followed over time. Information on hospital care and surgery was obtained from the national Swedish register of hospital care and surgery. Results More farmers than referents had been hospitalized for osteoarthritis and had undergone surgery for osteoarthritis of the hip joint. Hazard ratio for osteoarthritis of the hip joint was 3.0 (95% CI: 1.7–5.3) for farmers versus urban controls. Non‐farming rural men had no increased risk as compared with urban referents. Conclusion Farmers but not non‐farming rural men had a significantly increased risk of developing osteoarthritis of the hip joint as compared with urban referents. Am. J. Ind. Med. 50:604–607, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.