Epidemiology and demographics of slipped capital femoral epiphysis in Korea: A multicenter study by the Korean Pediatric Orthopedic Society

BACKGROUND: In 1979, slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) was rarely reported in Korea, although it is the most common hip disorder of adolescence in Western nations. However, because the number of reported cases of SCFE in Korea has increased a great deal since then, we performed a nationwide survey to ascertain its epidemiology and demographics in Korea. METHODS: We reviewed the discharge databases for the period between January 1989 and December 2003 from 19 university hospitals across Korea. Recorded data included age at onset, sex, past medical history, height, weight, and type of slippage. We compared those data with national census data. The incidence data are reported as cases per 100,000 children between the ages of 10 and 14 years. RESULTS: Data for 231 patients (175 boys and 56 girls) were included in our survey. The average age at onset was 12 years 10 months in boys and 12 years in girls. The average annual incidence was estimated to be at least 0.499 for boys and 0.142 for girls for every 100,000 children between the ages of 10 and 14 years, which was lower than that of Western nations and Japan. The incidence showed a pattern of increments across each period. The mean body mass index was significantly higher in Korean patients with SCFE than in the population of the same age group without it. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of SCFE in preadolescents in Korea has increased markedly since 1979, which may be related to increasing rates of obesity. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, level 4.