BackgroundThe epidemiology of fractures of the humeral shaft has received little attention in Nigeria. This study was aimed at investigating the possible risk factors associated with diaphyseal humeral fractures among Nigerians.MethodsThe study was carried out retrospectively at the Department of Medical Records, National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos State, Nigeria, between 2007 and 2012. Case notes and plain films of X-ray from a total number of 206 patients of ages from birth to one hundred years (0–100 years), comprising of 140 males and 66 females, were used for the study. The analyses were done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.0 and presented in bar charts. The frequencies were reported as percentages. The differences in frequencies were compared using chi-square test.ResultsThe results showed that the percentage frequency of diaphyseal humeral fractures was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in males than in females. The main cause (P < 0.05) of diaphyseal humeral fractures was road traffic accident followed by fall.ConclusionsThe major causes of diaphyseal humeral fractures are road traffic accidents and falls. Since diaphyseal humeral fracture is an issue of harsh economic consequences, adequate measures should be taken by all the parties involved, especially government agencies, to address this menace in term of road maintenance and general well-being of the citizens. Furthermore, since it was observed that different regions of the bones of interest present diverse characteristics with respect to associated risk factors, it is recommended that such studies as this should be region-based rather than whole-bone based.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s41038-015-0007-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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