Fracture of the distal forearm: epidemiological developments in the period 1971-1995

This study describes longterm epidemiological trends of 8361 distal forearm fractures out of 256,431 trauma patients (3 per cent) treated in a Dutch university hospital. The mean incidence rate across the whole lifespan was 42 per 10,000 inhabitants. The general picture was that the incidence rate decreased from 47 in 1971 to 38 per 10,000 in 1995. The highest age-specific incidence rate was found in the age group above 79 years (90 per 10,000), followed by the age group of 0-9 years (80 per 10,000). The pattern of aetiology did not change: the distribution was accidental fall (62 per cent), sports and leisure (19 per cent) and traffic (14 per cent). The rate of hospital admission increased from 6 per cent in 1971 to 14 per cent of patients in 1995. It appeared that the longterm increase of hospital admission can largely be attributed to patients younger than 50 years of age. It has been discussed that the rise in operative treatment may be explained by a growing population and a change in surgical policy leading to more indications to operate on distal forearm fractures.