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Locomotor dysfunction and risk of cardiovascular disease, quality of life, and medical costs: design of the Locomotive Syndrome and Health Outcome in Aizu Cohort Study (LOHAS) and baseline characteristics of the study population

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Orthopaedic Science

Abstract

Background

There is little evidence regarding long-term outcomes of locomotor dysfunction such as cardiovascular events, quality of life, and death. We are conducting a prospective cohort study to evaluate risk of cardiovascular disease, quality of life, medical costs, and mortality attributable to locomotor dysfunction. The present study determined baseline characteristics of participants in the Locomotive Syndrome and Health Outcome in Aizu Cohort Study (LOHAS).

Methods

Cohort participants were recruited from residents between 40 and 80 years old who received regular health check-ups conducted by local government each year between 2008 and 2010 in Minami-Aizu Town and Tadami Town in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Musculoskeletal examination included assessment of physical examination of the cervical and lumbar spine, and upper and lower extremities and of physical function, such as grasping power, one-leg standing time, and time for the 3-m timed up-and-go test. Cardiovascular risk factors, including blood pressure and biological parameters, were measured at annual health check-ups. We also conducted a self-administered questionnaire survey.

Results

LOHAS participants comprised 1,289 men (mean age 65.7 years) and 1,954 women (mean age 66.2 years) at the first year. The proportion of obese individuals (body mass index 25.0 kg/m2) was 31.9% in men and 34.3% in women, and 41.0% of participants reported being followed up for hypertension, 7.0% for diabetes, and 43.6% for hypercholesterolemia. Prevalence of lumbar spinal stenosis was 10.7% in men and 12.9% in women, while prevalence of low back pain was 15.8% in men and 17.6% in women.

Conclusion

The LOHAS is a novel population-based prospective cohort study that will provide an opportunity to estimate the risk of cardiovascular disease, quality of life, medical costs, and mortality attributable to locomotor dysfunction, and to provide the epidemiological information required to develop policies for detection of locomotor dysfunction.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Mrs. Seiko Kanno and other staff of the public office in Tadami and Mrs. Michi Sato and other staff of the public office in Minami-Aizu for their assistance in locating participants and scheduling examination. The authors are also grateful to the participants of the LOHAS. This study was supported by grants from the Institute for Health Outcomes and Process Evaluation Research (iHope International), the Fukushima Society for the Promotion of Medicine, and Fukushima Prefectural Hospital.

Conflict of interest

All authors have indicated that no financial conflicts of interest were present.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan

    Koji Otani, Miho Sekiguchi, Kenichi Otoshi, Shin-ichi Kikuchi & Shin-ichi Konno

  2. Department of Healthcare Epidemiology, Kyoto University School of Medicine and Public Health, Kyoto, Japan

    Misa Takegami, Norio Fukumori, Shin Yamazaki, Yasuaki Hayashino & Shunichi Fukuhara

  3. Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiologic Informatics, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, 5-7-1 Fujishiro-dai, Suita, Osaka, Japan

    Misa Takegami

  4. Department of Community Health Sciences, Kobe University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kobe, Japan

    Rei Ono

  5. Institute for Health Outcomes and Process Evaluation Research (iHope International), Kyoto, Japan

    Yoshihiro Onishi

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  1. Koji Otani
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Consortia

The LOHAS Research Group

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Misa Takegami.

Additional information

K. Otani and M. Takegami are equal contributors.

Members of the LOHAS Research Group are listed in Appendix.

Appendix: Locomotive Syndrome and Health outcome in Aizu Cohort Study (LOHAS) Group

Appendix: Locomotive Syndrome and Health outcome in Aizu Cohort Study (LOHAS) Group

Chairman: Shin-ichi Konno (Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine).

Research members: Shin-ichi Kikuchi, Koji Otani, Miho Sekiguchi, Kenichi Otoshi (Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine), Shunichi Fukuhara, Shin Yamazaki, Yasuaki Hayashino, Misa Takegami, Norio Fukumori (Department of Epidemiology and Healthcare Research, Graduate School of Medicine and Public Health, Kyoto University), Rei Ono (Department of Community Health Sciences, Kobe University Graduate School of Health Sciences), Yoshihiro Onishi (Institute for Health Outcomes and Process Evaluation Research), Yoshimune Hiratsuka (Department of Management Science, National Institute for Public Health), Koichi Ono (Department of Ophthalmology, Juntendo University School of Medicine), Shigeo Horie (Department of Urology, Teikyo University School of Medicine).

Research associate members: Akira Onda, Gota Oi, Hideo Kobayashi, Hiroharu Saito, Hironori Numazaki, Hiroshi Kobayashi, Katsuhiro Yoshida, Kazuhide Uesugi, Kazuyuki Watanabe, Naoko Kitano, Nobuyuki Sasaki, Takumi Sekine, Tsutomu Shida, Yohei Matsuo, Yoshitaka Kobayashi (Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine), Takatoshi Tano, Toshimitsu Kasuga, Hidenori Sasaki, Tamihiko Seimiya, Eriko Abe, Kenji Yamamoto, Daisuke Komatsu, Yoshinari Sadamatsu (Department of Ophthalmology, Juntendo University School of Medicine), Hiroko Masuda (Institute of Gerontology, University of Tokyo), and Masahiro Ohe (Institute for Health Outcomes and Process Evaluation Research).

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Otani, K., Takegami, M., Fukumori, N. et al. Locomotor dysfunction and risk of cardiovascular disease, quality of life, and medical costs: design of the Locomotive Syndrome and Health Outcome in Aizu Cohort Study (LOHAS) and baseline characteristics of the study population. J Orthop Sci 17, 261–271 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00776-012-0200-5

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