Secular trends in incidence and seasonal variation of distal radius fracture among children: A nationwide study based on the Swedish National Patient Register 2002-2016

Trends and projection of forearm fractures including elbow fractures of the Olecranon in Sweden: an analysis of 363 968 fractures using public aggregated data

BACKGROUND

Forearm and olecranon fractures are a common orthopaedic injury. This study aimed to analyse whether the incidence of forearm injury is changing and identifying trends in the number of forearm and olecranon fractures using public aggregated data in Sweden.

METHODS

The number of forearm and olecranon fractures as defined by the number of registered diagnoses with the ICD-10 code of S52 were collected and normalized per 100,000 inhabitants and stratified per sex, age, and month. Age-adjusted incidence for forearm and olecranon fractures were calculated using the direct method. Poisson regression was used to analyse monthly, seasonal and yearly change in forearm and olecranon fracture incidence. Logistical regression was used to predict future trends of forearm and olecranon fractures.

RESULTS

The findings revealed a slight decreasing trend in forearm and olecranon fractures. The average incidence rate during the study period was 333 with women having a higher incidence rate than men. More fractures occurred in the winter months. Fluctuations in the number of forearm and olecranon fractures were observed during 2020 which may be influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on current data, forearm and olecranon fractures are expected to decrease in Sweden by 2035.

CONCLUSION

This study describes the trend of forearm and olecranon fractures among individuals according to sex and age in Sweden using easily obtainable data. Trends in forearm and olecranon fractures are dependent on sex and age but generally show a decreasing trend. More precise studies are needed in order to properly quantify the specific incidence of various subtypes of forearm and olecranon fractures and associated risk factors.

Internet Search Trends for Common Hand Surgery Diagnoses

PURPOSE

The internet is a common resource for patients seeking health information. Trends in internet search interests for common hand surgery diagnoses and their seasonal variations have not been previously studied. The objectives of this study were (1) to describe the temporal trends in internet search interest for common hand surgery diagnoses in the recent five-year time period and (2) to assess seasonal variations in search term interest.

METHODS

An internet-based study of internet search term interest of 10 common hand surgery diagnoses was performed using Google Trends (Google, Inc., Mountain View, CA) from January 2017 to December 2021. The 10 diagnoses were "carpal tunnel syndrome," "trigger finger," "thumb arthritis," "ganglion cyst," "de Quervain's tenosynovitis," "lateral epicondylitis," "Dupuytren disease," "distal radius fracture," "finger fracture," and "scaphoid fracture." Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to assess for seasonal differences in search interest, and temporal trends were assessed using the two-tailed Mann-Kendall trend test.

RESULTS

During the study period, there was an increasing trend for search interest for "carpal tunnel syndrome," "trigger finger," "thumb arthritis," "Dupuytren disease," and "finger fracture," both in the United States and worldwide. There was no significant temporal trend for "ganglion cyst," "de Quervain's tenosynovitis," "lateral epicondylitis," and "distal radius fracture." There were no significant temporal trend for "scaphoid fracture" in the United States and a decreasing trend worldwide. There was significant seasonal variation in search term interest for "finger fracture" in the United States, "finger fracture" worldwide, and "scaphoid fracture" in the United States, with popularity peaking in the fall.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite growth in global internet usage, internet search interest has remained stagnant for many common hand surgery conditions, which may represent a shifting preference for patients to obtain health information from other resources. Internet search interest for traumatic hand conditions corresponds to seasonal variations in fracture epidemiology and peaks in the fall season.

A Retrospective Analysis from A Single Center Perspective On Complications After Fixing Distal Radius Fracture In Pediatric Population

Background

The Distal radius fractures in the pediatric age group have similar complications to any other fracture. One interpretation of the high fracture incidence in the distal third of the radius is the relative weakness of the metaphyseal part.

Objective

The aim of this study is to provide an evaluation of Surgical complications of distal radius through satisfactory reduction and proper fixation by K-wires through bone growth plates.

Methods

A retrospective single-center study in a tertiary hospital in Eastern Saudi Arabia from 2000 to 2021, using the hospital's electronic records system. The Inclusion criteria of this study involve all distal radius fracture cases who underwent surgical fixation by k-wire or plating system and are up to 14 years old. The exclusion criteria include loss of follow-up, incomplete data, and age of more than 14 years.

Results

the study included 103 patients. The side of injury was almost equally distributed between the left and right sides. The odds of having at least one complication increase by 2.5 folds if the site of fracture is at the diaphysis. Further, if the distance of the fracture line to the epiphysis is more than 20 mm, the odds of reporting at least one complication post-procedure is 4.4 times higher than if it was at the level of the epiphysis. The majority of diaphyseal fractures required less than 6 weeks for radiological healing, which is significantly different from other sites which were evaluated.

Conclusion

Complications of distal radius fracture due to Surgical intervention could be confounded by the complexity of the fracture itself. In our study, we found the distance of the fracture from the physis was inversely proportional to the likelihood of complications. For a comprehensive appreciation of physeal plate, we recommend extended follow-up for those who present with signs of severe distal radius fracture, especially in case of associated ulnar fracture.