The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Vol 72, Issue 3 378-381, Copyright © 1990 by Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc
Seasonal variation of slipped capital femoral epiphysis
RT Loder, DD Aronson and RO Bollinger
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan 48201.
To correlate the season of the year with the prevalence of slipped capital
femoral epiphysis, we reviewed the cases of 177 patients who had 243 slips
during an eleven-year period. We assessed the month when the patient was
seen and the implied time of onset of the slip and found a statistically
significant variation for both. The average time of onset was mid-June,
with a standard deviation of 2.5 months, and was not significantly
different for race, sex, or laterality. We attributed the increased
incidence of slipped capital femoral epiphysis during the summer to
increased physical activity in that season.