An epidemiological survey of radial and ulnar fractures in Hebei Orthopaedics Hospital

Abstract

Objective To investigate the epidemiologic characteristics of radial and ulnar fractures treated from January 1st, 2005 to June 30th, 2007 in Hebei Orthopaedics Hospital.Methods Eight residents from the Orthopaedic Department collected all the medical records and X ray images of the radial and ulnar fractures treated in our hospital during the above mentioned time.They investigated and recorded data concerning the age, gender, occupation, time of injury, fracture site, fracture type, complications, treatments chosen, examination results and healing time of the patients investigated.Linear regression method was used to analyze the recorded data of the patients.Results They collected 6430 fractures(3885 males and 2545 females).3283 fractures affected the left side, 3103 the right side, and 44 patients had fractures at both sides.There were more children victims than adult ones.A trend analysis showed the radial and ulnar fractures presented a wave trend with the increase of age, reaching its peaks in the age groups of 0 to 10 years and 20 to 30 years.We also found that during the past 2 years the male cases were on the increase while the female cases on the decrease, though no significant difference was found between them(P>0.05).Radial and ulnar fractures occurred more in winter.Conclusions The incidence of radial and ulnar fractures during the past 2 years in Hebei Orthopaedics Hospital shows a stable trend.Children, juvenile and the old are populations that need more attention to prevent radial and ulnar fractures. Key words: Ulna fractures; Radius fractures; Epidemiology; Cross-sectional studies