Prevalence of injuries among high school students in Eastern and Western parts of Cairo, Egypt.

BACKGROUND: Injury is the leading cause of death and long term disability and a significant contributor to healthcare costs among children worldwide especially those aged 15-19 years. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of injuries among secondary school students in Cairo, Egypt and to explore the associated risk factors for sustaining injury. METHODOLOGY: A Cross-sectional study was conducted on secondary school students in eastern and western part of Cairo; self-administered questionnaire was used for assessing injuries sustained in previous 12 months and the associated risk factors for injury. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of injuries was 68.5%. Unintentional injuries were the most common injuries falls (50%) and burns (38.6%). Significant factors associated with sustaining injury were truancy, smoking, alcohol use, quarreling behavior, carrying weapon, threatened by weapon and verbal bullying. CONCLUSION: This study showed a high prevalence of injuries among high school students in Egypt which necessitates raising public awareness about the magnitude and burden of injuries among adolescents.

Work-related hand injuries treated at a tertiary care hospital.

BACKGROUND: The hands are known to be the most commonly injured body parts in traumatic occupational injuries. They can be disabling, leading to major adverse social and economic consequences for the worker and for his or her family. AIM: The aim of the study was to describe work-related hand injuries and their potential risk factors and also investigate lines of management in relation to the type of injury. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients who presented to the emergency room of a tertiary hospital over a 6-month period with occupational hand injuries were interviewed using a predesigned questionnaire. It included questions pertaining to the sociodemographic, occupational, and medical aspects related to the injury. RESULTS: A total of 163 patients were interviewed. More than 50% had injuries from cuts. Almost 60% of work-related hand injuries occurred in the absence of machines. The most common causes of hand injuries mentioned by workers were lack of concentration (68.7%), wearing no or ill-fitting gloves (63.2%), and a defect in the work place (51.5%). On examination, fingers were the most affected site (66.7%). About half of the cases were managed in the emergency room, 28.8% were managed with minor procedures, and 21.9% were managed with major procedures. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Work-related hand injuries have multifactorial causes; lack of concentration was the most common in this study. Injuries from cuts were the most common and fingers were the most affected part. Modifications of the possible risk factors may reduce the incidence of acute hand injury at work.