ABSTRACT

Fractures are a major source of disability in all age groups; however, little is known about their epidemiology despite being quite a few studies on this subject. The aim of this study was to identify the frequency, gender, and seasonal distributions of fractures in an emergency department.

Patients who had been admitted to an emergency department because of extremity and spine problems were included in this study. Physical examinations, radiographs, ultrasonography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance images were recorded. All demographic data such as age and gender, and other data, including season and history, were collected retrospectively. Diagnoses and treatment types (conservative or surgery) were evaluated.

Between January 2012 and January 2014, 190.986 patients (95.619 males and 95.367 females) with various complaints were admitted to an emergency ward. After assessment of 32.300 patients who had pain in an extremity or the spine, 4.036 of them were diagnosed with fractures, with a total of 4.301 fractures being diagnosed. The average age of the patients who presented symptoms in an extremity or the spine was 36.2 years, and the gender ratio (men/ women) was 60:40. The most common fractures were at the radius (15.6%), and the least common fractures were at the sesamoid bones (0.04%).

This study showed that 17% of the patients admitted to the emergency ward had extremity or spinal complaints and 2.2% of the patients had fractures. These epidemiological data may be relevant for physicians working in emergency departments when evaluating trauma patients.

Keywords: Demographics, fractures, emergency department