OBJECTIVES: Injuries to the elbow and forearm cause serious difficulties for patients with everyday self-care. The aim of our study was to determine the epidemiological disease burden of injuries to the elbow and forearm.

METHODS: Data were derived from the financial database of the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund Administration (NHIFA), for the year 2018. Data analysed included annual patient numbers, case numbers and prevalence of care utilisation per 100,000 population according to age groups and sex. The following health insurance treatment categories were included into our study: general practice care, home care, in- and outpatient care, medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, drugs and medical aids. Patients with injuries to the elbow and forearm were identified with the following code of the International Classification of Diseases 10^threvision: S50-59.

RESULTS: The highest national patient numbers were in outpatient care: 58,986 men and 65,374 women, in total 124,360 patients, followed by general practice care (18,732 men and 20,588 women, in total 39,320 patients), and inpatient care (4,173 men and 5,852 women, in total 10,025). Based on patient numbers in outpatient care, prevalence in 100,000 among men was 1,262.7 patients, among women 1,280.1 patients, in total 1,271.8. Average age of patients in outpatient care was 43.3 years, there was a significant difference (12.9 years) between men (36.5 years) and women (49.5 years). As regards sex distribution in outpatient care: 47.4% of patients were men, 52.6% were women, in general practice care men accounted for 47.6%, women for 52.4% of patients.

CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference in prevalence between men and women. Average age of women was 12.9 years higher than that of men.