[Muskuloskeletal disorders in construction industry: hospital cases].

The authors analyse 493 hospital cases in 356 workers from the construction industry, came to observation for musculoskeletal disorders (average age 48, 2 years, SD 9; work seniority 32, 2 years, SD 9, 7; work seniority in construction industry 27, 3 years, SD 12, 4). The evaluation was required in 305 subjects (85.7% of the sample) to investigate one or more suspected WMDS; in 51 subjects (14.3% of the sample) to express an opinion on fitness to work or residual work capacity. Investigations led to diagnosis of 479 musculoskeletal disorders; the districts most affected are spine and upper limb. 64.7% of the musculoskeletal disorders was evaluated to be work-related, the percentage rises to 68% when considering only cases sent for evaluation of suspected WMDS. The most frequent reasons to exclude relation between the musculoskeletal disorders and work were an high age at diagnosis, presence of comorbidity or outcome of trauma, a disease mismatch exposure.