Epidemiology of traumatic brain injury : a population based study in western Sweden.

• BACKGROUND: This study on traumatic brain injury (TBI) is based on prospective and retrospective population based data from a head injury register in Boras. METHODS: Data was collected from the hospital emergency unit, the discharge register, the regional neurosurgical clinic and the coroner's records during 1 year. This district is mixed urban and rural with a population of 138 000. RESULTS: The 753 cases identified represent an incidence of 546 per 100 000 which includes deaths (0.7%), hospital admissions (67%) and attendance at the emergency department in patients not admitted (32%). Males (644 per 100 000), had 1.46 higher overall rate than females (442 per 100 000). The external causes were dominated by fall from same level (31%) and fall from different level (27%) followed by traffic accidents (16%) and persons hit by objects (15%). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of TBI found in this study is high but well in accordance with earlier published Swedish studies.

Keyword

traumatic brain injury

epidemiology

incidence

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)