[Sport-related injuries and conditions among French military personnel]. / Les affections en service liées aux sports chez les militaires français.

INTRODUCTION: Physical and military training is an essential component of training in the armed forces. Although there is considerable evidence for the health benefits of training, the negative impacts cannot be ignored. A study was conducted to determine the frequency of sport-related injuries and conditions in the French armed forces in 2011. MATERIALS AND METHOD: To cover the cost of treating injuries and conditions related to military service, medical officers report all accidents to the Caisse Nationale Militaire de Sécurité Sociale. Based on this evidence, the following information was collected: type of sport, age, sex, length of service, service branch and type of lesion. RESULTS: 8,157 injuries and conditions were reported in the first six months of 2011, giving an incidence rate of 4.472 per 100,000 person-years. An army soldier was found to be 2.1 times more likely to suffer an injury than a member of the navy. The study also found that men were more likely to be injured, except during the first four months of service. Running was the most common cause of exercise-related injury (21.5%). Traumas accounted for 92% of all conditions, diseases for 3%, and overuse injuries for 3%. Lower limb injuries were the most common problem (63%), with a majority of ankle lesions, followed by knee lesions. The frequency of musculoskeletal lesions was 75%. DISCUSSION: A new approach to exercise has been developed to reduce the frequency of sport-related injuries and conditions.

[Incidence of thirty chronic diseases in the French armed forces between 2005 and 2011]. / Incidence des ALD 30 chez les militaires d'active entre 2005 et 2011.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of chronic diseases (ALD30) in the French armed forces between 2005 and 2011. METHODS: Descriptive study on active soldiers covered by the French military healthcare system (CNMSS) between 01/01/2005 and 31/12/2011. Data were standardized due to over-representation of young men. The incidence of ALD30 was analyzed from medical records by consulting physicians using the Hippocrate database. RESULTS: The mean annual population comprised 331,000 persons. During the study, 10,107 of the 11,581 soldiers to whom an ALD diagnosis was attributed were granted exemption of co-payment. The mean age was 43.2 years, 87.9% of patients were male. The most common chronic diseases were cardiovascular diseases, representing 29.8% of the group, followed by malignant tumours (24.3%), diabetes (14.8%) and severe psychiatric disorders (8.6%). The age-matched standard incidence rate of was higher for women than for men (501 vs 462 per 100,000). The Army had the highest standard incidence rate of ALD and the Navy had the lowest incidence rate (1,139 vs 768 per 100,000). In comparison with the age- and gender-adjusted incidence rates in the general population, the armed forces almost always presented a much lower risk of ALD, which could be explained by medical selection, the type of activity and the short-term affiliation of the users of CNMSS. CONCLUSION: Data extracted from ALD databases are useful for epidemiological studies and for the evaluation of health and prevention programmes.