Trends in the Seasonal Variation of Pediatric Fractures

Purpose: The incidence of pediatric fractures is known to peak during the summer. A more sedentary lifestyle is a potential cause for changes in pediatric seasonal fracture frequency and severity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the current seasonal variations of pediatric fractures in order to determine resource allocation in hospitals, community clinics and prevention programs. Methods: A single institutional review of historical data of all patients aged 0-16 that were diagnosed with fractures between April 2014 and July 2017 in the emergency department of a level 3 orthopaedic trauma center was conducted. 3484 fractures were reviewed, of which 2991 were included. We stratified fractures according to patients variants and the hour, day and month with respect to holidays, weekends and weather.

Results: While the fracture rate on school days was 4.7-1.92 per day (population dependent), the fracture rate during the summer vacation was 2.94-1.46 (P<0.001). The peak hours of admission were 12:00-13:00 and 18:00-22:00, with more moderate differences during non-school.

Conclusions: The local seasonal variation of pediatric fractures has a bimodal distribution, with similar nadirs during both summer and winter. The presented data can assist in improving the value of injury prevention measures and medical resources allocation.