Epidemiological analysis of adult fractures at the base of the first metacarpal bone in The Third Affiliated Hospital to Hebei Medical University from 2003 through 2012

Abstract

Objective To investigate the epidemiological features and trends of adult fractures at the base of the first metacarpal bone in The Third Affiliated Hospital to Hebei Medical University from 2003 through 2012. Methods The data of human fractures treated between January 2003 to December 2012 at our hospital were collected through the PACS system and case reports checking system. Adult fractures at the base of the first metacarpal bone were included in the present study and assigned into 2 groups, group A containing the data between 2003 and 2007 and group B the data between 2008 and 2012. Comparison and analysis was done with analytic items of gender, age and fracture type. Results A total of 378 adult fractures at the base of the first metacarpal bone were included, accounting for 1.92% of hand fractures and 0.35% of the total adult fractures at the same period. The fractures involved 311 males (82.28%) and 67 females (17.72%). The youth group had 254 fractures with the highest constituent ratio (67.20%). The right side was involved in 286 cases (75.66%) and the left side in 92 (24.34%). There were 198 cases of extra-articular fracture with the highest constituent ratio (52.38%). Group A had 200 fractures, a male to female ratio of 6.14∶1, a median age of 34 years, the highest constituent ratio in youth (73.50%) and in type A1 fractures (53.50%); group B had 178 fractures, a male to female ratio of 3.56∶1, a median age of 40 years, the highest constituent ratio in youth (60.11%) and in type A1 fractures (51.12%). Compared with group A, group B had a higher constituent ratio of females, older ages, a higher constituent ratio of elderly patients, a lower constituent ratio of youth, and a lower constituent ratio of type C1 fractures. All these differences between the 2 groups were statistically significant (P< 0.05). Conclusions During the 10 year, the adult fractures at the base of the first metacarpal bone accounted for 1.92% of hand fractures and 0.35% of the total adult fractures at the same period. The fractures occurred mostly in men and in the age range of 16 to 44 years. About 3/4 of them occurred on the right side. Compared with the first 5 years, the latter 5 years witnessed increasing trends of female and elderly patients and decreasing trends of young patients and type C1 fractures. Key words: Metacarpal bone; Fractures, bone; Epidemiology; Adult