Abstract des Autors

We conducted a population-based telephone interview study of 780 Dutch adults, followed by a postal questionnaire survey covering more clinical details, completed by 311 subjects, who were interviewed by telephone previously. The proportion of the adult population that had at least a single cramp in 1988 was estimated (36%). Age adjusted frequency ratios showed a 3:2 female preponderance. There was no effect of age on the sex adjusted frequency ratios. However, older people suffering from muscle cramp had attacks more frequently than younger people. In both sexes muscles in calves and feet were most often involved. Pregnancy turned out to be the sole most important risk factor for muscle cramp, followed at distance by musculoskeletal pain. Verf.-Referat