Objective: To determine the relative frequency and pattern of injuries in children less than 15 years of age.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of all children aged 15 and below seen with injuries and poisoning in an Emergency Department (ED) during 2000 and 2001, and reviewed their records. Patterns of injury among all children were examined by location of occurrence, circumstances, anatomy and mechanism of injury, injury type, and patient disposition.
Results: Atotal of 1412 children were seen in an ED with injuries and poisoning, with a mean of 7.5 +/- 3.2 years. Boys experienced significantly higher rates than girls. Most injuries occurred at home. Playing was the leading context of injury in both genders. The most common mechanisms of injury were falls (44.5%), road traffic injuries (14.0%), and foreign body ingestion/ inhalations (10%). In children up to the age of 5, head and face, while in older children, extremities were more frequently involved. Eighty seven patients (6.2%) were admitted to the hospital, and six patients died (0.42%).
Conclusion: A large proportion of falls, along with low proportion of road traffic injuries and foreign body ingestion/ inhalations, is characteristics of childhood injury profile in our country.