[Epidemiological features of acute hand injuries in daily life in Beijing area]

To study the composition, distribution, and influencing factors of acute hand injuries in daily life in the Beijing area by analyzing the clinical data from patients with acute hand injuries.

Between April 1st 2005 to September 30th 2005, 2575 patients with acute hand injuries in daily life from Beijing area were investigated by questionnaire. The epidemiological factors were analyzed, including gender, age, injury time, injury cause, accident place, injury mechanism, and location.

The 2 575 patients injuried in daily life accounted for 49.2% of all. Most of them were young males, and the male to female ratio was 3.3:1. Most of the patients were 21-30 years old. The most common accident place was resting place (43.3%), and next was outdoors (28.8%) and leisure place (20.0%). Accidental injury was the major injury cause, accounted for 51.0%, followed by injury after drinking (16.1%) and violence (15.5%). The major injury mechanism was cutting (52.23%), followed by collision (16.04%) and falling (15.18%). A total of 2 405 patients were right hander, and handedness affected the distribution of injured hands significantly. Open injuries accounted for 70.7% of the patients, and the tissues in deep layer were involved in the injury in 54.4% of all.

Hand injury in daily life is a common problem, which has its own epidemiological features. More appropriate measures should be taken to decrease the incidence.