Age‐ and Gender‐Specific Epidemiologic Characteristics of Major Intra‐Articular Fractures: Five‐Year Data from a Level 1 Trauma Center

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of major intra‐articular fractures. METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled patients with major intra‐articular fractures who were treated in the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2015 to December 2019. A total of 11,084 patients (7,338 [66.20%] males and 3,746 [33.80%] females) meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included. The distribution characteristics of intra‐articular fractures involving shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, ankle, and subtalar joints were identified.The potential associations between fractures and various other factors, such as age, gender, sites, were explored. RESULTS: There were 74 cases (0.67%) of shoulder fractures, 1,941 cases (17.51%) of elbow fractures, 1,155 cases (10.42%) of wrist fractures, 520 cases (4.69%) of hip fractures, 3,118 cases (28.13%) of knee fractures, 2,156 cases (19.45%) of ankle fractures, and 2,120 cases (19.13%) of subtalar fractures. The overall male‐to‐female ratio was 1.96:1. The highest proportion age group of major intra‐articular fractures included the ages 45–54 years. For males, the highest proportion age group was 45–54 years, for females, it was 55–64 years. The knee joint fracture was the most common type, accounting for 28.13%. For male and female patients, knee fractures accounted for 26.19% and 31.93%, respectively, with a male to female ratio of 1.13:1. The proportion of shoulder fractures was the smallest among this investigation, accounting for 0.67%. For male and female patients, shoulder fractures accounted for 0.44% and 1.12%, respectively, with a male to female ratio of 0.76:1. The age group with the highest proportion of shoulder joint fractures was ≥65 year olds (41.89%), with a male to female ratio of 0.76:1. The age group with the highest risk of elbow, wrist, hip, knee, ankle, and subtalar joint fracture was 5–14 year olds (33.59%) with a male to female ratio of 3.29:1, 5–14 year olds (23.98%) with a male to female ratio of 6.91:1, 45–54 year olds (26.92%) with a male to female ratio of 5.67:1, 45–54 year olds (24.60%) with a male to female ratio of 1.68:1, 25–34 year olds (20.36%) with a male to female ratio of 2.30:1, 45–54 year olds (27.41%) with a male to female ratio of 9.02:1, respectively. The most common site of intra‐articular fractures in different age groups was corresponding as follows: 0–4 year olds (elbow), 5–14 year olds (elbow), 15–24 year olds (ankle), 25–34 year olds (subtalar joint), 35–44 year olds (subtalar joint), 45–54 year olds (knee), 55–64 year olds (knee), 65–74 year olds (knee), and ≥75 year olds (knee). CONCLUSION: The current study revealed the age‐ and gender‐specific epidemiological characteristics of major intra‐articular fractures, providing a basis for clinical evaluation and practices.