Causes of traumatic brain injuries in the Republic of Moldova

Abstract

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major source of health loss and disability worldwide. Many survivors live with significant disabilities, resulting in major socioeconomic burden. Annually, in Europe are registered 57000 of deaths and 1.5 mln. of hospitalizations. The goal of our study was to examine the number and most frequent causes of TBI in the population of the Republic of Moldova and their distribution in reference groups. Material and methods: This study has included the 3-months’ retrospective and 6-months’ prospective data in 2 tertiary level hospitals in Moldova. Data were collected using specialized questionnaires, that were eventually analyzed. Results: During these 9 months 518 patients with TBI were registered, aged between 0 and 79, 294 of them were adults and 224 children. The trauma circumstances have been documented in accordance with national and international guidelines. The main causes were the following: the 1st place – falls from height (277 cases), the 2d place – road traffic injuries (149 cases), the 3d place – interpersonal violence (73 cases) and on the 4th place – self-harm injuries (73 cases). Conclusions: Our research provides a detailed picture of TBI-related situation in Moldova. To quantify the real burden of TBI, including the prevalence of TBI-related disability, more study is needed.