title: Osteoarthritis of the hip: an occupational disease in farmers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the hypothesis that farmers are at high risk of hip osteoarthritis and to investigate possible causes for such a hazard.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross sectional survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five rural general practices.
  
  
  METHODS
  167 male farmers aged 60-76 and 83 controls from mainly sedentary jobs. All those without previous hip replacement underwent radiography of the hip.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hip replacement for osteoarthritis or radiological evidence of hip osteoarthritis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prevalence of hip osteoarthritis was higher in farmers than controls and especially in those who had farmed for over 10 years (odds ratio 9.3, 95% confidence interval 1.9 to 44.5). The excess could not be attributed to any one type of farming, and heavy lifting seems the likely explanation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Manual handling in agriculture should be limited where possible. Consideration should be given to making hip osteoarthritis a prescribed industrial disease in farmers. There may be wider implications for the prevention of hip osteoarthritis in the general population.
authors.affiliation: ARC Epidemiology Research Unit, University of Manchester.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Croft
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Coggon
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cruddas
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cooper
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015207:Osteoarthritis, Hip / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors