Affiliations: Akron Children's Hospital, Akron, OH, USA | Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH,
USA | Department of Orthopaedics, The Ohio State University,
Columbus, OH, USA
Note: [] Correspondence: Kevin Klingele, MD, Nationwide Children's
Hospital Department of Orthopaedics, 700 Children's Drive, Columbus, OH 43205,
USA. Tel.: +1 614 722 3393; Fax: +1 614 722 3373; E-mail:
kevin.klingele@nationwidechildrens.org
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.
