The Effect of Curfew on Pediatric Extremity Fractures During The Covid-19 Pandemic

Authors : Ramazan Ilter Öztürk, Hüseyin Fatih Sevinç

Pages : 72-79

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Publication Date : 2021-06-30

Article Type : Research

Abstract :Objective: The present study is intended to investigate the effect of the curfew on orthopedic extremity fracture incidence for children aged under 18 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey. Method: This study is a retrospective study using hospital database. 254 children were identified. Children under the age of 18 who were admitted to the emergency room and diagnosed with extremity fractures in April and May 2019 and 2020 were evaluated. The evaluations were conducted by age, gender, fracture site and treatment options. Results: 156 patients were identified in 2019 and 98 patients in 2020. The average age of the patients decreased during the pandemic period. In both periods, the most common extremity fracture site was the distal radius in the forearm. The second most common extremity fracture site was in the fingers of the hand in 2019 and in the humerus in 2020. Extremity fracture diagnosis was made most frequently in boys with a rate of 71.2% and 67.3% in 2019 and 2020, respectively. In 2020, the rate of patients aged 1-5 (2019: 14.7%, 2020: 28.6%) increased, while the rates of those aged 6-11 (45.5% in 2019, 39.8% in 2020) and 12-18 (39.7% in 2019, 31.6% in 2020) decreased. The rates of patients treated surgically decreased from 8.3% in 2019 to 5.1% in 2020. Conclusion: During the period of curfew, changes in extremity fracture incidence and extremity fracture sites occurred in the pediatric population. It was found that there was a decrease in the mean age of children diagnosed with extremity fractures. The rate of surgical treatment also decreased during the pandemic period
Keywords : Covid-19, Pediatrics, Extremity Fractures, Orthopedics, Pandemic, Curfew