Trauma of limbs in children victims of road traffic accidents

Abstract

The trauma of the musculoskeletal system in children linked to road traffic accidents is a public health problem both epidemiologically and prognostically. Few studies have been done on this trauma in children in Africa. Our study aims to contribute to the knowledge of this type of lesion. It was a prospective, descriptive and analytical study of the files of patients under 15 years of age admitted for trauma to the musculoskeletal system linked to a road traffic accident during the period from January 1, 2016 to June 31, 2016, i.e. six month. A total of 1973 patients were admitted for trauma, including 171 children for musculoskeletal injuries related to a road traffic accident, representing a frequency of 8.6% of all injuries. There were 130 boys (76%) for 41 girls (24%), a sex ratio of 3.16. The average age was 8.7 years with extremes ranging from 2 to 15 years. The functional signs were dominated by pain and functional impairment. The pelvic limb is affected in 80.11% of cases. A loss of substance is present in 8.10% of cases. Orthopedic treatment is the most indicated treatment (74.8%). Trauma to the musculoskeletal system in children caused by traffic accidents remains common in Niamey. The improvement of this situation requires the implementation and strict application of road safety rules.