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Background: The incidence rate of olecranon fractures is highest in the elderly population. The aim of this study was to determine whether patients with olecranon fractures have similar demographic and risk characteristics compared to patients with osteoporotic upper extremity fractures. Methods: A retrospective data analysis was performed with diagnoses for olecranon fracture, distal radius fracture and proximal humerus fracture between 2014 and 2016. Results: A total of 157 olecranon, 1022 distal radius and 451 proximal humerus fractures were identified. The risk of mortality after olecranon and distal radius fractures was comparable but statistically significantly higher after proximal humerus fractures (HR 1.97, 95% CI 1.19–3.27). The risk of subsequent osteoporotic fractures after an olecranon fracture was 10% at 1 year and 14% at 5 years and the risks did not differ statistically after a proximal humerus fracture, 6% and 11% (HR 0.65, 95% CI 0.40–1.06). After a distal radius fracture, the risks were statistically significantly lower: 2% and 5% (HR 0.35, 95% CI 0.22–0.56). Discussion: Patients with olecranon fractures have essentially similar demographic characteristics compared to patients with distal radius fractures, but the probability for a subsequent fracture is significantly higher and more comparable to patients with proximal humerus fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Proximal humeral fractures (PHF) are one of the most common fragility fractures and there is accumulating evidence that even displaced PHFs should be treated conservatively. The treatment should be as effective and standardized as possible regardless of the hospital district of the patient. The aim of this study was to describe possible regional variation in incidence and treatment methods of PHFs in Finland., Methods: The study included all Finnish inhabitants aged 16 years and older with PHF diagnosis between 1997 and 2019. All records are based on data from two national registers. The fractures and operations were organized according to hospital district of the patient and annual incidences of PHFs, and different treatment methods were calculated for each hospital district., Results: Between 1997 and 2019, 79,053 PHFs were identified. 64,117 of PHFs were treated conservatively and 14,936 operatively. The incidence of conservative treatment corresponded closely to the fracture incidence per hospital district. Internal fixation (IF) incidence generally increased towards the end of the first half of the study period and declined thereafter, and hemiarthroplasty (HA) was replaced by total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) as the most common type of arthroplasty by the end of the period. We found regional variation in the incidence of PHFs, with a low of 61.4 per 10 5 in Åland, and a high of 97.7 per 10 5 in East-Savo., Conclusions: In Finland, the treatment of PHFs did not differ fundamentally between hospital districts and a general evidence-based shift in treatment practice was shown. We found regional variation in the incidence of PHFs, and it seems that the higher incidence of PHFs is concentrated in the Eastern Finland., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background and Purpose: The aim of our study was to assess the regional variations in Achilles tendon rupture incidence and treatment methods in Finland during the period 1997-2019., Methods: The Finnish National Hospital Discharge Register (NHDR) and the Finnish Register of Primary Health Care Visits (PHCR) were searched to identify all adult patients diagnosed with Achilles tendon rupture during our study period. The population-based annual incidence and incidences of surgically and non-surgically treated Achilles tendon ruptures were calculated for each hospital district., Results: Achilles tendon rupture incidence increased from 17.3 per 105 person-years in 1997 to 32.3 per 105 in 2019. The mean incidence of Achilles tendon ruptures ranged from 26.4 per 105 (North Savo) to 37.2 per 105 (Central Ostrobothnia). The incidence of Achilles tendon ruptures increased in all areas. The proportion of non-surgical treatment of Achilles tendon ruptures ranged in 1997 from 7% (Vaasa) to 67% (Åland) and in 2019 from 73% (Southwest Finland) to 100% (East Savo, Kainuu, Länsi-Pohja, Åland). During the study period, a shift towards non-surgical treatment was evident in all hospital districts., Conclusion: Regional variations in Achilles tendon rupture incidence exist in Finland; however, the incidence increased in all areas during the follow-up period. More Achilles tendon rupture patients are currently being treated non-surgically throughout the country.