The Prevalence of Lower Extremity Injuries in Mashhad: A Five-Year Study

Background: Injury is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Lower extremity injuries put a heavyburden on communities. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of lower extremity injuries in Mashhad, Iran.Methods: The data from 57430 patients with lower extremity injuries from all traumatology hospitals in Mashhad wereanalyzed in this retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of lower extremity injuriesin Mashhad, Iran, between March 2011 and March 2015.Results: The prevalence of lower extremity injury in the general population of Mashhad was 0.34%. The mean ageof the casualties was 33.7±19.8 years, and 77.9% were male. Knee and lower leg injuries had the highest frequency(61%). The mean hospitalization period was 7.7±12.6 days. The highest mortality rate (MR) (2%) and discharge againstmedical advice (DAMA) (11%) were observed in hip and thigh injuries. DAMA (8.8% vs. 6.7%, p <0.001) and MR (1.7%vs. 1.5%, P=0.005) was higher in females. However, males had a longer hospitalization period (8±13) compared tofemales (6.8±10.1 days) (p <0.001). The prevalence rate was declining during the study period.Conclusion: The downward trend of lower extremity injuries is promising; however, the higher mortality rate in femalesneeds more attention. These findings can be used for better management of traumatic patients.Level of evidence: III