BACKGROUND: 40-50 % of all boys and 30-40 % of girls suffer from at least one fracture during childhood. A quarter of these fractures affects the wrist, making it the worst affected part of the body. Children often sustain the injury during play or sport activities. There has been a lifestyle change among European children during the last decades, and there is reason to believe that fracture incidence is changing.
METHODS: For the purpose of this observational cohort study registry data was retrieved from the Swedish National Patient Register for all pediatric patients registered with a distal radius fracture during the period 2005-2013. Incidence rates were calculated for each year using data from Statistic Sweden on population size by age and gender.
RESULTS: 90 970 distal radius fractures were identified. The mean age at the time of fracture was 10 years. In ages 10-17 the proportion of male patients was significantly larger. Seasonal variations were detected with peak incidences in May and September. A decreasing total fracture incidence was observed during the study period.
CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of distal radius fractures in a population 0-17 years in Sweden was higher among male than in female patients. The incidence was lower in 2008-2013 as compared to 2005. Further studies are necessary to reveal if the incidence will continue to decrease.