The Epidemiology of Limb Fractures in Children Admitted to an Emergency Department in Western Iran

The incidence of limb fractures in children depends on environmental factors and socioeconomic backgrounds.

This study aimed to evaluate the epidemiology of limb fractures in 1 to 15-year-old children in Ilam City, Iran.

This retrospective study enrolled all children aged 15 and below admitted to the Emam Khomeini Hospital of the Ilam University of Medical Sciences between July 2012 and March 2018. Data including age, sex, injury mechanism, and injured organs were recorded in SPSS software and analyzed using a chi-square test.

Out of 4877 children, 74.3% were boys, and 25.7% were girls, with the men to women ratio of 2.87 and the mean age of 9.10 ± 4.3 years. Elbow and forearm with 39.35% and leg with 21.61% were the most common sites of fractures. Home, street, and sports fields were the commonplaces of injury with 50.7%, 28.3%, and 7.2%, respectively. The age range of 8 - 15 years, with 3693 cases (75.72%) was the most vulnerable age group. Fractures occurred mostly in spring and summer and less frequently in the other seasons.

Specific attention should be paid to the home environment and its safety for controlling injuries in preschool children. This includes increasing parents’ knowledge of preventive measures. Moreover, improving the physical condition of pavements and crosswalks in the streets is necessary for the prevention of injuries.