Citation

Vázquez-Barquero A, Vázquez-Barquero JL, Austin O, Pascual J, Gaite L, Herrera S. Eur. J. Epidemiol. 1992; 8(6): 832-837.

Affiliation

Service of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Valdecilla, University of Cantabria, Spain.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1992, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

1294388

Abstract

The epidemiology of head injury was studied in Cantabria, Spain, using a methodological design consisting of a cross-selectional analysis of one year of duration and an additional one year follow-up of all the patients included in the initial sample. The 477 cases identified represent a rate of 91/100,000, with males showing a head injury rate 2.7 times higher that than for females. Sixty per cent of all cases involved traffic accidents, falls accounted for 24% and industrial accidents were the cause in 8%. The annual age-adjusted mortality rate was 19.7/100,000. Over 92% of all deaths occurred prior to hospital admission. The presence of alcohol intoxication was evaluated in 211 cases by determining the osmolar gap. It was found that 51% of all the cases examined presented clear evidence of acute alcohol intoxication.

Language: en