Injury
Volume 40, Issue 12 , Pages 1316-1319, December 2009

The incidence of scaphoid fracture in a military population

  • Jennifer Moriatis Wolf

      Affiliations

    • University of Colorado-Denver, Aurora, CO, United States
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author at: Department of Orthopaedics, University of Colorado-Denver, 12631 E. 17th Place, Box B202, Academic Office Building-1, 4th Floor, Aurora, CO 80045, United States. Tel.: +1 303 724 2955; fax: +1 303 724 2977.
    • ,
  • Laura Dawson

      Affiliations

    • William Beaumont Army Medical Center, El Paso, TX, United States
    • ,
  • Sally B. Mountcastle

      Affiliations

    • William Beaumont Army Medical Center, El Paso, TX, United States
    • ,
  • Brett D. Owens

      Affiliations

    • William Beaumont Army Medical Center, El Paso, TX, United States

Accepted 16 March 2009.

Abstract 

Background

The rate of occurrence of scaphoid injury is not well known. The incidence of scaphoid fracture has been described mostly in small, injured cohort populations, which may underestimate its frequency. We studied the epidemiology of the scaphoid fracture using a large database in a military population.

Patients and methods

The Defense Medical Epidemiology Database (DMED), a comprehensive database which tracks medical care for all four military services of the United States, was queried for the first occurrence of scaphoid fractures using International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9 code 814.01. Data were evaluated using multivariate Poisson analysis, controlling for co-variate factors.

Results

We noted 14,704 scaphoid fractures in a population at a risk of 12,117,749 person-years. The unadjusted incidence of scaphoid fracture was 1.21/1000 person-years. Males were significantly more likely to sustain scaphoid fractures, with an adjusted rate ratio (RR) of 1.55 (95% confidence interval (C.I.), 1.47, 1.64), compared to females. The 20–24-year-old age group had the highest incidence of scaphoid fracture at 1.64/1000 person-years, and showed a significantly higher RR compared to the population aged greater than 40 years (adjusted RR 1.55, 95% C.I., 1.38, 1.66). Whites sustained scaphoid fractures at a significantly higher rate than African Americans (adjusted RR 1.32, C.I., 1.26, 1.38).

Discussion/conclusions

When compared to the previous data on scaphoid fractures, our study showed a greater incidence of scaphoid fracture at 1.21/1000 person-years in the US military population. These data are derived from a large database which effectively captures the population at risk. Males, the younger age group and the white race were associated with higher rates of scaphoid injury in this specialised military population.

Keywords: Scaphoid, Fracture, Epidemiology, Military, Incidence, Carpal, Age-related, Gender, Race, Regression analysis, Population

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PII: S0020-1383(09)00216-2

doi:10.1016/j.injury.2009.03.045

Injury
Volume 40, Issue 12 , Pages 1316-1319, December 2009

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