A surveillance study on traumatic brain injury among population of the Republic of Moldova

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is among the most severe types of trauma all over Europe, one of the leading causes of disability involving multiple resources, complex and long-term treatment. TBI in children results in a range of traumatic injuries to the scalp, skull, and brain that are comparable to those in adults but differ in both pathophysiology and management. Road accidents and falls are mentions to be the leading causes of TBI. The aim of this study was to explore the particularities of TBI among the general population of the Republic of Moldova. A retrospective study was conducted in 2 large hospitals Chisinau municipality: Emergency Medicine Institute and Children's hospital “Valentin Ignatenco”, for a period of 3 months (August, 1 – October, 31, 2018) by extracting data from existing records for 150 patients with TBI. Data were uploaded by using Red Cap and analyzed trough Microsoft Excel and Epi Info. Data collection was performed by a resident neurosurgery and a scientific researcher. The ethics committee's approval has been obtained. There have been identified 56 cases of TBI in children aged between 0-17 years old and 94 cases of TBI in adults aged between 18-73 years old. Most cases being in the age group 0-6 years old, followed by 30-39 years old and a group of 60> years old. In more than half of cases, the injury appears in the urban area. The major cause of the intracranial injuries was through falls, followed by road accidents. Most injuries in children occurred at home with adults in the transport area. From the total number of the TBI patients, there have been identified 24% cases of TBI as a result of road traffic accidents; in more than 83, 3% have taken place in transport area (public highway, street or road) and the most affected age group being the age group of 30-39 years old. Most cases were recorded in August. The major risk groups, gender and major causes of TBI were obtained throughout this study. Major risk groups, gender, and environment, time of the day and major causes of traumatic brain injuries were highlighted. All this could be useful in managing the necessary resources, for conducting information campaigns and developing health education programs. The study used data collected part of the project INITIaTE: International Collaboration to increase Traumatic Brain Injury Surveillance in Europe funded by the National Institutes of Health, United States.