Hospital-Based Epidemiological Study of Distal Radius Fractures at a Hand and Microsurgery Unit in Malaysia

Distal radius fractures (DRFs) are the most common upper limb fractures in clinical practice. Due to the absence of a formal national registry describing the characteristics of DRFs in Southeast Asia, this study aims to provide hospital-based epidemiological data to bridge this gap in the literature.

We conducted a retrospective study in the Hand and Microsurgery Unit of Hospital Selayang, Batu Caves, Malaysia, which included all patients who sustained non-pathological DRFs over 24 months, from 01 January 2022 to 31 December 2023. Medical records were analyzed in terms of detailed demographic data, fracture characteristics, and mode of treatment.

Over the two-year study period, we identified 446 patients with DRF, totaling 450 DRFs (four patients had bilateral injuries). Male patients outnumbered female patients 114 (64%) to 63 (36%) in 2022 and 145 (54%) to 124 (46%) in 2023. The mean age of patients was significantly higher in 2023 compared to 2022 (54.51 ± 22.20 vs. 45.25 ± 23.64 years, respectively; p < 0.0001). The most common fracture type was type A, based on the Orthopaedic Trauma Association(OTA) classification, accounting for 83.6% of cases in 2022 and 87.4% of cases in 2023. In terms of treatment, most DRFs were treated conservatively as opposed to operatively (77.4% vs. 71.3%), with plate fixation being the most common operative intervention, accounting for 57.5% of cases in 2022 and 73.3% of cases in 2023.

The incidence of DRF was higher among male patients than among female patients in our study population, with an increasing annual trend. Most cases were the result of low-impact trauma and were closed fractures that were conservatively managed.