title: The frequency and epidemiology of hand and forearm fractures in the United States.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to estimate the frequency and describe the epidemiology of hand and forearm fractures in the United States. We extracted cases with ICD-9-CM diagnostic codes of 813.0 to 817.1 from the 1998 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. In 1998 there were 1,465,874 estimated cases of hand/forearm fractures, accounting for 1.5% of all emergency department cases. Radius and/or ulna fractures comprised the largest proportion of fractures (44%). The most affected age group was 5 to 14 years of age (26%). Private insurance paid for 49% of the cases. Most of the fractures occurred at home (30%); the street/highway was the second most likely fracture location (14%). Accidental falls caused the majority (47%) of fractures. Large database analysis provides important information that can be used to target interventions toward vulnerable populations and to allocate adequate resources for treating upper extremity fractures.
authors.affiliation: Section of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, The University of Michigan Hand Center, The University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0340, USA.
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Spilson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006230:Hand Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011885:Radius Fractures / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014458:Ulna Fractures / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology