Abstract
The aim was to examine the descriptive epidemiology of Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis, with respect to geography and time.
We extracted all children with a diagnosis of Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis from the Clinical Practice Research Database between 1990 and 2014 (24 years). CPRD is the world's largest database of primary care, which encompasses 8% of the UK population. CPRD was linked to Hospital Episode Statistics, and a validation algorithm applied to maximise sensitivity and specificity of the cases finding methodology. Poisson confidence intervals were calculated, and poison regression used.
596 cases of SCFE were identified. The internal validation algorithm supported a SCFE diagnosis in 88% cases. The age and sex distribution of cases mirrored that in the literature, offering external validity to the cases identified. There was no significant change in the incidence of SCFE over the 24-year study period, with the overall incidence being 4.8 cases per 100,00 0–16 year olds. There was no significant geographic variation in SCFE within the UK. There was a positive association with rising socioeconomic deprivation (p<0.01). There was no seasonal variation in presentation.
This study found no evidence to support the common belief that SCFE incidence is increasing, and for the first time demonstrated an association with socioeconomic deprivation. The results are important for considering the feasibility of intervention studies, and offer insights into the disease aetiology.
