Fractures in childhood in Khartoum.
A prospective study of fractures in 231 children received at Khartoum North Teaching Hospital(KNTH) was carried out for a period of six months. The incidence of child fracture rated as one per day, then it increased from the age of 5 years onwards in boys and between 6 and 8 years in girls. Most injuries were sustained during the day time, especially between late afternoon and sunset. 82% of injured children presented to a medical facility, while 18% were taken to native healers first. Non-road traffic accidents accounted for 84% of the fractures mainly due to sports, domestic injuries and falls; whereas road traffic accidents were 16% and occurred mainly in pedestrians. Forty three percent of the fractures needed only first aid and splintage while 42% needed closed reduction. Thirty one percent of all patients were treated as inpatients. The long bones were affected in 91% of all fractures, the commonest site being the distal end of the forearm (26%), followed by supracondylar fracture of the humerus (15.6%). In the upper limb, left-sided fractures predominated. The epiphyseal injuries were 3.5% of all fractures, mainly at the distal radial epiphysis. Boys were commonly affected between 13-15 years of age. Open fractures constituted 9.8% of the series and were mainly due to traffic accidents in town dwellers, the most vulnerable bones were those of the leg and foot. Pathological fractures accounted for 2.2% and were due to bone cysts and osteogenesis imperfecta. The problem of child safety and the preventive measures need to be more stressed.
Doumi
B A
BA
Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Sudan.
Ahmed
M E
ME
Hassan
R
R
Elnour
S H
SH
Kashan
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013397:Sudan / Q000453:epidemiology