Unintentional, paediatric domestic injury in a semi rural area of Karachi

Objective: to identify the characteristics of unintentional domestic injury in children living in a semi-rural area of karachi. methods: this retrospective descriptive study was carried out at a private hospital located at the northern outskirts of karachi, pakistan, from january 2005 to january 2007. we enrolled 271 out-patient children of either gender with a positive injury history. a questionnaire inquiring socio-demographic characteristics, timing of injury, monthly variation, injury pattern and factors was filled out. descriptive analysis and chi-square test were applied to find out the statistically significant differences. results: among the 271 patients, the male-to-female ratio was 1.2:1. fall from height 145 (54%) or at the same level 52 (19%) was the commonest form of domestic unintentional injury across all ages. children younger than 2 years of age, 140 (52%), were more prone to injuries, with 49 (51%) having fallen from the lap. cuts with sharp domestic utensils were noted in 19 (6%), while 15 (6%) had burns. submersion in underwater tank was noted in 20 (7%) cases and poisoning in 7 (3%). majority of the injured children were from the low socio- conomic stratum and more injuries, 194 (72%), were reported during the summer months. conclusion: male children are more prone to suffer unintentional domestic injuries especially during summer vacations. fall was the commonest pattern noted.