Head Injury Mortality in the Nordic Countries
- 1 January 2007
- journal article
- Published by Mary Ann Liebert Inc in Journal of Neurotrauma
- Vol. 24 (1), 147-153
- https://doi.org/10.1089/neu.2006.0099
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Western countries. Effective management planning for these patients requires knowledge of TBI epidemiology. The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze the development of TBI mortality in the Nordic countries during the period 1987-2001. Data on TBI deaths were retrieved from the national official statistical agencies according to specified diagnostic codes. We also collected data on the number of operations for acute TBI in the year 2000 from all Nordic hospitals admitting trauma patients. Finland had about twice as high a TBI mortality rate as the other countries. Similarly, the Finnish incidence of acute TBI operations was nearly twice that of the other countries. The median TBI death rate for Finland was 21.2 per 100,000 per year, and for Denmark, Norway, and Sweden 11.5, 10.4, and 9.5, respectively. There were more male than female deaths in all countries. The mortality rate from extracranial injuries was relatively equal between the countries. We observed a sizeable reduction in TBI mortality rates for all countries, except in Finland. Younger age groups had the most pronounced decrease in TBI mortality rates. The oldest age group had the least favorable development of TBI mortality rates, and the mean age of TBI casualties increased substantially during the study period. This study demonstrates considerable differences in and between the Nordic countries regarding TBI mortality. Preventive measures and implementation of regional guidelines are needed to assure a positive development in the future.Keywords
This publication has 34 references indexed in Scilit:
- Patient age and outcome following severe traumatic brain injury: an analysis of 5600 patientsJournal of Neurosurgery, 2003
- Regional differences in patient characteristics, case management, and outcomes in traumatic brain injury: experience from the tirilazad trialsJournal of Neurosurgery, 2002
- Guidelines for Prehospital Management of Traumatic Brain InjuryJournal of Neurotrauma, 2002
- Alcohol-Related Mortality in Europe: A Tentative Analysis from the EU Project “Alcohol Consumption and Alcohol Problems among Women in European Countries”Substance Abuse, 2001
- Traumatic brain injury in Denmark 1979–1996. A national study of incidenceand mortalityEuropean Journal of Epidemiology, 2001
- Scandinavian Guidelines for Initial Management of Minimal, Mild, and Moderate Head InjuriesJournal Of Trauma-Injury Infection and Critical Care, 2000
- The Epidemiology of Hospital-Referred Head Injury in Northern NorwayNeuroepidemiology, 1998
- Lethal Injuries and Time to Death in a Level I Trauma Center 1 1The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, nor the U.S. Government.Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 1998
- National adaptations of the ICD rules for classification—A problem in the evaluation of cause-of-death trendsJournal of Clinical Epidemiology, 1997
- Epidemiology of head injury.Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 1996