Epidemiology and the economic burden of pediatric fractures in China: A retrospective study of 14,141 fractures.

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have explored the epidemiology of fractures in children, however, differences in incidence over time and between countries and regions was noted. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the epidemiology and the economic burden of pediatric inpatients with fractures in China.

METHODS

A total of 14,141 pediatric inpatients (≤18 years of age) with fractures were included in the present study. Information on the clinical characteristics of each patient were obtained from the home page of their medical records. Pediatric inpatients with fractures were defined as patients that were 18 years of age or younger, and were primarily diagnosed as having a fracture. One-way ANOVA was used to assess differences in the economic burden of the treatment of the fractures.

RESULTS

Pediatric fractures accounted for 32.6% of all injures children recorded in the medical records. Fractures were more common among boys than among girls. The majority of fractures occurred in children that were 6-12 years old. The most common fracture sites were the shoulders and upper arms (44.6%), followed by the elbow and forearm (21.23%). The leading cause of fractures were falling down (61.3%). The majority of fractures occurred in summer (30.3%). The cost of hospitalization increased with the age of the inpatients. Furthermore, fractures of the long bones of the extremities, and fractures caused by traffic accidents, usually incurred higher hospitalization costs. The cost of materials and treatment of the fractures were the key factor affecting the cost of hospitalization.

CONCLUSION

The occurrence of pediatric fractures is affected by age, gender, reason, season and fracture sites. Appropriate precautions should be taken to reduce the incidence of fractures in children.