• de AlmeidaCarlos Eduardo RomeuCEDepartment of Neurosurgery, Santa Casa de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Electronic address: cadu_romeu@yahoo.com.br., José Lopes de Sousa Filho, Jules Carlos Dourado, GontijoPollyana Anício MagalhãesPADepartment of Neurosurgery, Santa Casa de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil., Marcos Antônio Dellaretti, and Bruno Silva Costa.
• Department of Neurosurgery, Santa Casa de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Electronic address: cadu_romeu@yahoo.com.br.
• World Neurosurg. 2016 Mar 1; 87: 540-7.

BackgroundTraumatic brain injury (TBI) stands out as a grave social and economic problem. Emerging countries possess few epidemiologic studies on the range and impact of TBI.ObjectiveOur study aimed to characterize the demographic, social, and economic profile of people suffering from TBI in Brazil.MethodsData on TBI cases in Brazil between 2008 and 2012 were collected through the website of the Information Technology Department of the Unified Health System (DATASUS) maintained by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. This database is fed by public hospital admission authorization forms provided nationwide.ResultsThere were around 125,000 hospital admissions due to TBI a year, an incidence of 65.7 admissions per 100,000 inhabitants per year. Hospital mortality was 5.1/100,000/year, and the case fatality rate was 7.7%. The average annual cost of hospital expenses was US$ 70,960,000, with an average cost per admission of US$ 568. The age group 20-29, frequently admitted to the hospital due to TBI, presented the largest number of hospital deaths; however, the population >80 years of age showed the highest admission rate per age group, around 138/100,000/year, followed by the age group 70-79.ConclusionsTBI should be recognized as an important public health problem in Brazil because it is responsible for considerable social and economic costs. Besides the young adult age group (20-29 years old), the geriatric age group is especially vulnerable to the frequent and devastating consequences of TBI. The implementation of a system of effective epidemiologic vigilance for neurotrauma is urgent in Brazil and other countries worldwide.Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

33 keywords...

hide…