Prevalence of developmental dysplasia of the hip in Al Jouf province, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Hip dysplasia is a widespread and debilitating musculoskeletal disorder that affects children. Its prevalence varies across different nations.

Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of developmental hip dysplasia (DDH) within the pediatric population of Al Jouf province.

Methods: From January 2018 to December 2023, children with DDH from all cities of Al Jouf were included in this retrospective cross-sectional study. The disease prevalence was calculated for the entire province as well as for individual cities within the territory.

Results: The study included 427 patients with DDH with an overall prevalence of 0.50%, or 5.0 per 1000 live births. At the city level, Sakaka had the highest prevalence at 14.2 per 1000 Live births followed by Qurayyat at 2.2 per 1000 live births. In contrast, cities like Suwayr, Abu Ajram, and Meegowa did not show any incidence of DDH. Significant differences were observed in the sociodemographic characteristics, such as age, sex, and nationality, across the different cities (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: The prevalence of DDH in the Al Jouf province is high. The data delivers invaluable insights into the epidemiology of DDH in the Al Jouf locality. The findings highlight the need for targeted screening of DDH across the province.