Social, clinical, and radiological characteristics of physical abuse of children under three years of age hospitalized in a tertiary health institution

Abstract

Introduction/Objective Child abuse is a significant public health problem in modern society. Many cases of violence against children remain undetected. Serbia has no official protocols for medical examination of abused children. The aim of the study is an analysis of the social, clinical and radiological characteristics of physical abuse of children under three years of age that required hospital treatment. Methods This retrospective study included 98 physically injured children admitted to the University Children’s Hospital in the period from 2013 to 2015, with suspected physical abuse. In addition to the history of injuries, complete clinical examinations and standard laboratory analyses were performed in all children, as well as X-ray examination in children with apparent or suspected skeletal injury. Ultrasound examination and computerized tomography or magnetic resonance imaging were performed in selected patients. Final diagnosis of abuse was established by multidisciplinary assessment team. The children were divided into two groups - those with proven and those with suspected abuse. Results Most of 98 children who were suspected of being abused (92%) were from one or both unemployed parents, 68% were male, 60% were first-born, and 44% younger than one year. Ninety-two percent of the children had skeletal fractures, 19% of whom had two or more fractures. The commonest fracture was a linear skull fracture, which was detected in 51% of the cases. Abuse was confirmed in only five of 98 suspected cases. Conclusion Among the known social risk factors for abuse of children, the low economic status of the family was the most frequent one in our analyzed sample. The most common injury is a linear skull fracture. A national guideline for medical investigating of abused children is required.