CHA University School of Medicine, 120 Hyeryong-ro, Pocheon-si 11160, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, 335 Pangyo-ro, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si 13488, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.
Medicina (Kaunas). 2023 Sep 15;59(9):1671. doi: 10.3390/medicina59091671.
Restrictions on daily activities to slow down the propagation of COVID-19 have changed the epidemiological pattern of pediatric fractures in many countries. However, the effect of the pandemic on pediatric fractures has not been fully studied. In this study, we investigated the impact of COVID-19 on early adolescent fractures in Korea. We conducted a retrospective follow-up on a nationwide cohort of Korean early adolescents born between 2006 and 2009. The prevalence and incidence of pediatric fractures and the frequency of surgical treatment were compared between two different eras. The prevalence and incidence of fractures during the pandemic have both shown a significant decrease: prevalence reduced from 34,626 to 24,789 ( < 0.001), while incidence decreased from 29,804 to 18,898 ( < 0.001). Considering sex, the shift in fracture prevalence was statistically significant ( = 0.020), whereas the incidence was not ( = 0.862). The decline in both fracture prevalence and incidence exhibited significant variation across birth year groups (prevalence, < 0.001; incidence, < 0.001), with a more pronounced reduction observed in the older age groups. While the proportion of patients who required surgeries has increased, the mean frequency of surgical treatment per patient remained at a similar level (by prevalence, = 0.181; by incidence, = 0.735). The decline in both fracture prevalence and incidence has shown significant variation in relation to fracture sites (prevalence, < 0.001; incidence, < 0.001), with a decrease in distal limb fractures and an increase in forearm and axial body fractures. The pediatric fracture pattern in Korea has been notably influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, warranting further investigation into causal factors. Our findings should help predict epidemiology in the post-pandemic period and thus aid policymaking and patient management.
为减缓 COVID-19 的传播而限制日常活动已改变了许多国家儿科骨折的流行病学模式。然而，大流行对儿科骨折的影响尚未得到充分研究。在这项研究中，我们调查了 COVID-19 对韩国青少年早期骨折的影响。我们对韩国出生于 2006 年至 2009 年的青少年进行了全国性的回顾性随访。比较了两个不同时期儿童骨折的患病率和发病率以及手术治疗的频率。大流行期间骨折的患病率和发病率均显著下降：患病率从 34626 例降至 24789 例（ < 0.001），发病率从 29804 例降至 18898 例（ < 0.001）。考虑到性别，骨折患病率的变化具有统计学意义（ = 0.020），而发病率则没有（ = 0.862）。骨折患病率和发病率的下降在出生年份组之间均表现出显著差异（患病率， < 0.001；发病率， < 0.001），年龄较大的年龄组下降更为明显。虽然需要手术的患者比例有所增加，但每位患者的手术治疗频率仍保持在相似水平（按患病率， = 0.181；按发病率， = 0.735）。骨折患病率和发病率的下降与骨折部位明显相关（患病率， < 0.001；发病率， < 0.001），四肢骨折减少，前臂和轴体骨折增加。韩国的儿科骨折模式受到 COVID-19 大流行的显著影响，需要进一步研究其因果因素。我们的研究结果应有助于预测大流行后的流行病学，并为制定政策和管理患者提供帮助。
