Factors Associated With Symptomatic Rotator Cuff Tears: The ROW Cohort Study.

Objective Although rotator cuff tear is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders, its etiology is poorly understood. We assessed factors associated with the presence of rotator cuff tears in a cohort of patients with shoulder pain. Design From February 2011 to July 2016, a longitudinal cohort of patients with shoulder pain was recruited. Patients completed a detailed questionnaire in addition to a magnetic resonance imaging scan and a clinical shoulder evaluation. The association of multiple factors associated with rotator cuff tears was assessed using multivariate logistic regression. Results In our cohort of 266 patients, 61.3% of patients had a rotator cuff tear. Older age (per 1 year: odds ratio [OR] = 1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02 to 1.07), involvement of the dominant shoulder (OR = 2.02, 95% CI = 1.16 to 3.52), and a higher BMI (per 1 kg/m2: OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.03 to 1.12) were independently associated with rotator cuff tears. Sex, depression, smoking status, shoulder use at work, hypertension, and diabetes were not significantly associated with rotator cuff tear. Conclusion In a cohort of patients with shoulder pain, we identified older age, involvement of the dominant shoulder, and a higher BMI to be independently associated with rotator cuff tear. The mechanism of how these factors possibly lead to rotator cuff tears needs further research.