Epidemiology of hand injury in Qatar

Hand injuries in Qatar have not been studied previously.In this study, 100 consecutive cases of hand injuries were studied to highlight the epidemiology of hand injuries in Qatar. The aim of this study is to compare the hand injuries in Qatar with other regions as we noticed most of our patients were involved in severe industrial injuries. The results were unique because manual workers were involved in industrial injuries in 59% of the cases which represents a high percentage in comparison to other studies so control measures should be taken. The male to female ratio was 10.1:1, with mean age for injury 29 years, the right and left hands were injured almost equally, the dominant hand was the right side in 99%, middle finger was the most frequently injured in 24.6% of the cases, distal phalanges were injured most frequently. The local people represent 20% of all cases of hand injuries. Discussion and explanation are included with each finding. Hand injuries are rarely life threatening but may cause major disability, loss of working days and severe psychological distress. In countries that are in the process of industrialization, factory regulations regarding safety are frequently implemented with laxity, as a result the incidence of industrial hand injuries is relatively high in developing countries