[Methodological issues in epidemiological studies of repetitive strain injuries].
Repetitive strain injuries (RSI) are a major public health problem with social and economic repercussions. This article presents a critical review of the published literature on RSI. The vast majority of the studies conducted in the last two decades were cross-sectional and exploratory. Results are difficult to interpret due to such methodological problems as lack of standardization and accuracy in identification of cases, inclusion of cases with potentially different diseases, varying levels of severity in the same study, lack of distinction between prevalent and incident cases, lack of precision in the definition and measurement of exposure, and confounding, besides the built-in constraint of cross-sectional studies for inferring causality. Some of these problems result from our insufficient knowledge of upper-limb soft tissue disorders and the absence of reliable diagnostic tests. Such problems could be addressed by studies whose design considered and stratified cases according to certainty and specificity of diagnosis.
Santos Filho
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SB
Departamento de Medicina Preventiva e Social, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Alfredo Balena, 190, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30110-100, Brasil.
Barreto
S M
SM
D002349:Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D012090:Cumulative Trauma Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence
Algumas considerações metodológicos sobre os estudos epidemiológicos das Lesões por Esforços Repetitivos (LER).