The Prevalence of Calcifications at the Origin of the Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis Increases with Age

Enthesopathy of the extensor carpi radialis brevis origin [eECRB] is a common idiopathic, noninflammatorydisease of middle age that is characterized by excess glycosaminoglycan production and frequentlyassociated with radiographic calcification of its origin. The purpose of our study was to assess the relationship ofcalcification of the ECRB and advancing age. We included 28,563 patients who received an elbow radiograph and assessed the relationship of calcificationsof the ECRB identified on radiograph reports with patient age, sex, race, affected side, and ordering indication usingmultivariable logistic regression. Calcifications of the ECRB were independently associated with age (OR:1.04; P<0.001); radiographsordered for atraumatic pain (OR2.6; P<0.001) or lateral epicondylitis (OR5.5; P<0.001); and Hispanic ethnicity (OR1.5;P<0.001) and less likely to be found at the left side (OR0.68; P<0.001). Similarly, incidental calcifications of the ECRB,those on radiographs not ordered for atraumatic pain or lateral epicondylitis, were independently associated withage (OR1.03; P<0.001) and Hispanic ethnicity (OR1.5; P<0.024) and less likely to be found on the left side (OR0.71;P<0.001). We observed that about nine percent of people have ECRB calcification by the time they are in their sixthdecade of life and calcifications persist in the absence of symptoms which supports the idea that eECRB is a common,self-limited diagnosis of middle age.Level of evidence: II