The Prevalence of Lower Extremity Injuries in Mashhad: A Five-Year Study

Injury is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Lower extremity injuries put a heavyburden on communities. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of lower extremity injuries in Mashhad, Iran.

The data from 57430 patients with lower extremity injuries from all traumatology hospitals in Mashhad wereanalyzed in this retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of lower extremity injuriesin Mashhad, Iran, between March 2011 and March 2015.

The prevalence of lower extremity injury in the general population of Mashhad was 0.34%. The mean ageof the casualties was 33.7±19.8 years, and 77.9% were male. Knee and lower leg injuries had the highest frequency(61%). The mean hospitalization period was 7.7±12.6 days. The highest mortality rate (MR) (2%) and discharge againstmedical advice (DAMA) (11%) were observed in hip and thigh injuries. DAMA (8.8% vs. 6.7%, p <0.001) and MR (1.7%vs. 1.5%, P=0.005) was higher in females. However, males had a longer hospitalization period (8±13) compared tofemales (6.8±10.1 days) (p <0.001). The prevalence rate was declining during the study period.

The downward trend of lower extremity injuries is promising; however, the higher mortality rate in femalesneeds more attention. These findings can be used for better management of traumatic patients.Level of evidence: III