Citation

Shivaji T, Lee A, Dougall N, McMillan T, Stark C. BMC Neurol. 2014; 14(1): 2.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group - BMC)

DOI

10.1186/1471-2377-14-2

PMID

24386897

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is an important global public health problem made all the more important by the increased likelihood of disability following a hospital admission for TBI. Understanding those groups most at risk will help inform interventions designed to prevent causes of TBI, such as falls prevention measures. This study identifies the rate of hospitalisation episodes of TBI in Scotland, explores causes of TBI admissions, and trends in hospitalisation episodes by age and gender over a twelve year period using routinely collected hospital data. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of routine hospital episode data identified records relating to TBI for the twelve years between 1998 and 2009. Descriptive analysis and Joinpoint regression analysis were used respectively in summarising records and exploring trends. RESULTS: Between 1998 and 2009 there were 208,195 recorded episodes of continuous hospital care in Scotland as a result of TBI. Almost half (47%) of all TBIs were the result of falls, with marked peaks observed in the very young and the oldest groups. While there were statistically significant annual percentage reductions in TBI hospitalisation episodes for children, reductions were not observed for older people. Hospitalisation episodes for boys and girls aged 0-14 years reduced by 4.9% (95% CI -3.5 to -6.3) and 4.7% (95% CI -2.6 to -6.8), respectively. In contrast, for those women aged over 65 years, a 3.9% (95% CI 2.0 to 5.8) significant increase in hospitalisation episodes was observed during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalisation for TBI is relatively common in Scotland. The rise in the age-adjusted rate of hospitalisation episodes observed in older people indicates that reduction of TBI should be a public health priority in countries with an ageing population. Public health interventions such as falls prevention measures are well advised and evaluations of such interventions should consider including TBI hospitalisation as an alternative or supplementary outcome measure to fractured neck of femur. Further research is needed to advance understanding of the associations of risk factors with increased incidence of TBI hospital episodes in the elderly population.

Language: en