Socio-Demographic Profile of Adults Admitted in Emergency for Brain Trauma Injuries at the University Hospital of Brazzaville (Congo)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate socio-demographic profile of adults admitted in emergency for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) at the University Hospital of Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo. We performed a prospective study within a period of six months, into the surgical unit of the emergency department of the University Hospital of Brazzaville. A total of 2617 patients were recorded, among which 268 cases were TBI (10.25%) where 142 cases were sampled in our series. The average age was 36.7 ± 16.6 years. The sex ratio was 6.1. The TBI was mainly due to road accident in 121 cases (85.2%) described as follows: motorcycle accident about 48 cases (39.7%) and the pedestrian's injuries about 42 (34.8%). In the majority of the cases, cautions were not taken by the drivers; during the case of the motorcycle accident, about 97.9% of the riders did not wear a helmet. The TBI remains a growing public health concern in the low-income countries, like in Africa. Measurements on the road traffic regulation are to be strengthened to reduce the growth of this silent epidemic.

Management of Traumatic Brain Injuries at the Kara Regional Hospital

“…The frequency of TBI at the Kara Regional Hospital was 12.4%. This is comparable to the frequency reported by Mbaki et al in Congo in 2018 (10.25%) [13]. There was an average of 7 admissions per month, with peaks in December, October and February.…”

Helmet Wearing Among Commercial Motorcyclist in Brazzaville (Congo): Knowledge, Attitude and Prevalence

“…The educational level was higher in our country (75.1% secondary school or higher) while in Kenya they were 42.2% to 52.1% secondary school or higher [15]. The level of knowledge about the safety helmet and its importance was overwhelmingly good (91.3%) compared to that found by Bachani A [10] and the 20% reported by Fadekemi O [16]. In our case this may be due to a high level of literacy in Congo [19].…”

“…In Congo, despite the lake of official statistics, the rate of accident involve motor bicycles is increasing. In the same period, the epidemiology of head trauma victims admitted to Brazzaville University Hospital reveals that 39.7% were drivers or passengers of motor bicycles [10].…”