The Epidemiology and Treatment of Brain Injury: Our Experience and Review in International Literature

Aims: Injuries are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Crete, Greece. We provide a brief presentation of a local injury prevention foundation's self-evaluation of its efforts to decrease the incidence of traumatic injuries through educational programs and legislative efforts.

Methods: We reviewed studies of traumatic brain injury (TBI) that are either population based or derived from definable catchment areas that allow determination of incidence, identification of risk groups, and mortality. We studied epidemiologic characteristics of TBI, including incidence; differences in age, gender, race and ethnic group, and geographic variation; and mortality from our hospital. Iraklion has Stain, an accident and emergency department serving a population of 350,000 people, which increases to 1,000,000 during the holiday period.

Results: Population-based studies in the United States suggest that the incidence of TBI is between 200 and 250 per 100,000 population per year. In our area, there are groups at high risk of TBI. This includes males and individuals living in regions characterized by socioeconomic deprivation. Mortality varies by severity but is high in those with severe injury and in the elderly.

Conclusions: TBI not only has considerable morbidity and mortality, but it is also a major cause of epilepsy, disabilities, and changes in personalities. We try to determine the frequency of TBI, special groups at risk, and mortality from TBI. If primary prevention is to be undertaken, we have to understand the epidemiology of the condition. The primary causes of TBI vary by age, socioeconomic factors, and geographic region, so any planned interventions must be tailored accordingly.