Epidemiological, Clinical and Radiological Characteristics of Patients with Head Trauma

Abstract

Background: Head injury has been recognized as a major public health problem and is a frequent cause of death and disability in young people and makes considerable demands on health services. Motor vehicle accidents are the major causes of traumatic brain injury (TBI) that its occurrence has been increasing in our country in recent years. We decided to study head injury in our region to evaluate the Epidemiological, clinical and radiological features of this health problem. Methods: We reviewed 200 TBI-patients records in Ali Ibn Abi Taleb hospital of Rafsanjan during 2012-2013. A Questionnaire including age, sex, job, the cause of trauma, Glasgow coma scale (GCS), brain computed tomography (CT) scan findings and clinical symptoms for every head trauma patient; was completed. Data were analyzed by SPSS software using Chi-square test and P-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: From the total of 200 patients, 73.5% were males, and 26.5% were females. The most common age group was 20-24 years. The majority of patients were students. Traffic accidents were the major cause of injuries (64.5%), and 35.5% of them were a motorcyclist. The most frequent finding of brain CT scan was skull fracture, and subdural hematoma and 25% of patient had a severe head injury. In clinical symptoms in conscious patients, headache, nausea, vomiting and vertigo was common. Conclusion: This study showed that we should pay more attention to traumatic brain injury young patients who are the most active potential forces of our society. Traffic accidents are the major reason for head injuries. Pay attention to prevention of this accident can perform an important role in decreasing of head injuries.