Abstract
Some studies have suggested seasonal variations in pediatric orthopaedic infection.
We sought to determine if there is seasonal variation in septic arthritis and/or osteomyeltis.
We performed a query of a single pediatric hospital's database, identifying all patients
diagnosed with septic arthritis and/or osteomyelitis, age 0 through 18, from 1994
through 2010. The institution is located in a temperate climate with definite seasonal
variations. Our query yielded 735 pyogenic arthritis and 104 unspecified infective
arthritis diagnoses for a total of 839 combined septic arthritis cases. The query
yielded 318 acute osteomyelitis, 227 chronic osteomyelitis, and 1114 unspecified osteomyelitis
diagnoses for a total of 1659 combined osteomyelitis cases. We identified statistically
significant differences in regard to region of body involvement, gender, age, and
incidence over time. There was no statistically significant difference with regard
to month or season at the time of presentation. There does not appear to be a seasonal
variation in the incidence of septic arthritis or osteomyelitis in the pediatric population.
This would not support the perception of an "infection season" in pediatric orthopedics.
In addition, there is a stable incidence of septic arthritis and an increasing incidence
of osteomyelitis noted at our institution over the last 17 years.
Keywords
Osteomyelitis - infection season - septic arthritis - pyogenic arthritis
