Epidemiology of Childhood Fractures in Cotonou: A Retrospective Observational Study

Abstract

Background: Childhood fractures are frequent. The aim of this study was to evaluate their epidemiological and clinical peculiarities in our context. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study that focused on the files of children with a fracture. They were aged 0–15 years and received between January 2011 and December 2015 at the Emergency Department of the National Teaching Hospital of Cotonou. Results: Two hundred and eighty fractures were recorded in 257 children. The average age was 8.24 years (7 days–15 years). Older children (6–10 years) were the most affected with 33.8% of cases. The predominance was male (sex ratio = 2.3:1). The aetiologies were dominated by road traffic accidents (45.1%) followed by domestic accidents (42.7%). Fractures were predominant in the lower limbs (52.1%). The most affected segments were the leg (25.4%) and the femur (23.6%). The fracture was open in 13.9% of cases. Conclusion: Childhood fractures interest preferentially the older boys. Then, road traffic accidents are the most frequent circumstances of occurrence in our context. Measures to prevent the main causes of these fractures must be taken, in order to reduce their frequency and ensure the development of children.