Context: Nurses handle heavy workloads and often sustain injuries, like wrist sprains. So, management of this requires a good understanding of the pathophysiology, which can be approached from many sides. It may be relevant to study the role of free radicals or their derivatives like malondialdehyde (MDA). Aims: Aim of the present study was to estimate the levels of MDA in healthy nurses and in nurses who sprained their wrists. Settings and Design: Sixty nurses from orthopedics ward were enlisted as subjects following predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria and divided into two groups. Group I consisted of thirty subjects who had healthy wrists and they served as controls. Group II had thirty age and sex-matched nurses who had recent wrist sprains and they served as cases. Methods and Materials: Estimation of serum MDA levels were done in both groups. Statistical analysis used: The MDA levels of the two groups were compared. Results: In group II (cases with wrist sprains) levels of MDA were highly significantly increased in comparison to MDA levels in group I (control subjects). Conclusion: Oxidative stress in wrist sprains leads to decreased MDA levels.The findings of this research might be relevant in strengthening the association between oxidative stress (caused by free radicals and leading to lipid peroxidation) and sprains; further, the above mentioned data may be important for workers in this area of study.

Keywords: Serum; Malondialdehyde; Nurses; Wrist; Sprain.