Abstract
Background40–50 % of all boys and 30–40 % of girls suffer from at least one fracture during childhood. A quarter of these fractures affects the wrist, making it the worst affected part of the body. Children often sustain the injury during play or sport activities. There has been a lifestyle change among European children during the last decades, and there is reason to believe that fracture incidence is changing.MethodsFor the purpose of this observational cohort study registry data was retrieved from the Swedish National Patient Register for all pediatric patients registered with a distal radius fracture during the period 2005–2013. Incidence rates were calculated for each year using data from Statistic Sweden on population size by age and gender.Results90 970 distal radius fractures were identified. The mean age at the time of fracture was 10 years. In ages 10–17 the proportion of male patients was significantly larger. Seasonal variations were detected with peak incidences in May and September. A decreasing total fracture incidence was observed during the study period.ConclusionsThe incidence of distal radius fractures in a population 0–17 years in Sweden was higher among male than in female patients. The incidence was lower in 2008–2013 as compared to 2005. Further studies are necessary to reveal if the incidence will continue to decrease.
Highlights
The incidence of distal radius fractures in a population 0–17 years in Sweden was higher among male than in female patients
The incidence was lower in 2008–2013 as compared to 2005
Further studies are necessary to reveal if the incidence will continue to decrease
Summary
40–50 % of all boys and 30–40 % of girls suffer from at least one fracture during childhood [1, 2]. Wrist fractures represent 25 % of all fractures in children [2, 3]. The fracture most commonly occurs when the child falls on an extended arm [2, 4, 5]. Falling while playing in a Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset Karolinska. Full list of author information is available at the end of the article monkey bar or a trampoline are two frequently reported trauma mechanisms for younger children while the teenagers tend to sustain fractures during sports [6]. The incidence has been reported to peak during early stages of puberty [7,8,9] when the volumetric bone mineral density is relatively low [7]
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