TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY IN CHILDREN IN DENMARK - A NATIONAL 15-YEAR STUDY

Demographic trends are reported concerning three types of traumatic br ain injury (concussions, cranial fractures, and intracranial contusion s/haemorrhages) among children in Denmark of ages up to and including 14 years, for a fifteen pear period from 1979 through 1993. The data w ere derived from a national computer-based hospitalization register an d include 49,594 children, of whom 60% were boys and 89% had suffered a concussion. Virtually all injuries were the result of accidents. A m ajor finding was that there has been a general decline in the incidenc e of traumatic brain injuries, especially for boys from 5 to 14 years old, suggesting a degree of success in preventive measures, particular ly regarding road safety. The incidence of fatal cases of intracranial contusions/haemorrhages approximately halved over the 15 year period. However, as a proportion of all diagnosed cases, mortality from intra cranial contusions/haemorrhages remained fairly constant at about 22%, perhaps because there have been no markedly successful innovations in acute care. Among children surviving a intracranial contusions/haemor rhages, rather considerable numbers were found to have been awarded di sability pension at ages under 30.