RESUMEN
PURPOSE: To investigate the general epidemiologic features of upper extremity fractures in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The records of the 589 in-patient children treated for upper extremity fractures over a 1-year period at 7 different hospitals were collected prospectively and analyzed. The severity of trauma was classified as slight, moderate or severe. This study examined the incidence of various upper extremity fractures and performed statistical analysis according to the epidemiologic parameters including age, gender and season. RESULTS: The average age of the children was 7.8 years. The average age of boys (8.5 years) was older than girls (6.4 years). The majority of fractures occurred at between 4 and 7 years of age (36%). The male to female ratio was approximately 2:1. The male predominance increased with age and increased dramatically in the age group, 12-16 years (5.8:1). The left side was injured more frequently (56%), and there was no difference between genders. The occurrence of fractures varied with the seasons with peaks in May (14.1%) and August (12.2%), and it was closely related to the temperature (r=0.778). The most common fractures were the supracondylar fractures of the humerus (32.6%), followed by distal radius fractures (18.2%), lateral condylar fractures (15.8%), radio-ulna shaft fractures (8%), clavicle fractures (4.2%), proximal humerus fractures (2.6%) and humerus shaft fractures (2.4%). Ninety seven percent of fractures were caused by a slight and moderate trauma. Fifty four percent of injured children underwent surgery, and 84% of operations were performed on the fractures around the elbow. CONCLUSION: This study examined the epidemiologic features of the upper extremity fractures in children.