The epidemiology of the hand, wrist, and forearm injuries

İNGİLİZCE ÖZETUpper extremity traumas create very important socio-economic problems,because it needs specialization and long-lasting recovery period, also results problemsrelated to rehabilition, loss of working power and severe disability. In modern societies,life style, social properties and working conditions may affect the severity anddistribution of such injuries. For this reason, we made a research on the demographicfeatures and epidemiology of the patients with hand, wrist and forearm trauma.This study included 402 patients with an injury on hand, wrist and forearm, whoreferred to Celal Bayar University School of Medicine Emergency Servise betweenJanuary 2004 - Decembre 2005. 279 of these patients (69,4%) were male and 123 ofthese patients (30,6%) were female. The avarage age was 28 years (1-80 years). Themajority of the patients were male and had minor injuries. Apart from minor injuries,bone tissue was mostly exposed to trauma. The most important injury causes weredetermined as blunt and penetrating injuries. Besides, in this study occupational injuryrate was 15,7 % and the 95,2 % of them were young and male patients.The epidemiologic data is a significant component of the injury controlmechanisms. This data obtained from the epidemiologic researches is very important forplanning precautions in order to control the injury and choosing the proper strategy. Onthe other hand, it is very important for health institutions to be ready for an earlydiagnosis and treatment. The economical dimension of such injuries should not beunderestimated. Although the studies in this area increased obviously, new long termand extensive researches should be done, because the complexity of biomechanic,behavioral and enviromental factors which contribute to the formation of the hand,wrist and forearm injuries.71