Abstract
Nasal fractures are the most common type of facial bone fracture. Studies conducted globally have shown that nasal fractures represent a significant liability on the health care system due to the frequency of its occurrence among most populations. This study aimed to describe the frequency, etiology, and demographics of nasal fractures in patients presenting to King Fahad General Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.This study was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study and included all patients with a nasal fracture who were referred from the emergency department to the ENT unit of King Fahad General Hospital over a four-month period (December 2018 to March 2019).A total of 130 patients with nasal fracture were included in the present study; most of the included patients were males (83.1%). The mean age of the patients was 28.5 years. The most frequent cause of nasal fracture was physical assault (54.6%), followed by road traffic accidents (20%). Most patients had epistaxis and presented with either active epistaxis at the time of assessment or epistaxis that spontaneously resolved after injury. Patients who had lacerations on the nose were more likely to have a displaced nasal bone (P = 0.016). Isolated nasal bone fractures were more commonly noted in victims of physical assault, whereas combined facial bone fractures were commonly noted in patients involved in road traffic accidents (P < 0.001).Most of the injuries occurred in the city, particularly among foreigners and young adults. Physical assault was reported to be the leading cause of nasal fractures.