Prevalence and patterns of traumatic foot injuries at Mulago Hospital

Abstract

Objective: In this study the main objective was to determine the prevalence and to describe the patterns of foot injuries among patients with mulsculo-skeletal injuries following trauma at Mulago hospital. Methodology: This cross sectional study was conducted over a period of sixteen months .The data was collected using a coded questionnaire and compiled into a computer. Variables were analyzed using the SPSS programme; univariate analysis was done and p- values < 0.05 were considered significant. Results: The prevalence of traumatic foot injuries was 10.8% at Mulago National Referral Hospital. The male: female ratio was 2.7:1. The mean age of the patients was 27.8 years +/- 11.2 (range 1.5 – 61 years). The most affected age group was 20- 29 years. Motorcycle (34.2%) and motor vehicle (32.9%) crashes were the commonest mechanisms of injury. There were 167 injured feet the majority of which (63.3%) were open and involved the whole foot. About 76.7% of the feet had osseous involvement mainly affecting the tarsal and metatarsal bones. In addition to the foot injuries 56% of patients had concomitant injuries mostly in the limbs (49.4%) and head (20.1%). Conclusion and recommendations: Road traffic accidents especially those due to motorcycle continue to be a source of severe foot injury. There must be a high index of suspicion for foot injuries in musculoskeletal trauma.