Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major public health problem because of its severity and frequency. No recent national epidemiological study on TBI victims is currently available in France.
Objective: This study aimed to quantify and characterise TBI victims and analyse temporal trends.
Methods: French hospitalisation data were used in this study. All hospitalised patients residing in France with at least one International Classification of Disease, 10th revision, code S06.0 to S06.9 during 2011-2016 were selected. Incidence and hospital case-fatality rates were calculated. Quasi-Poisson models were used to analyse temporal trends.
Results: In 2016, the incidence rate was 230.6/100,000 people, higher among men than women regardless of age. Incidence and hospital case-fatality rates were also higher among older than younger people. Incidence rates increased during 2011-2016, mainly due to the higher incidence rate with age ≥65 years than younger age. During 2011-2016, hospital case-fatality rates decreased, mainly due to the decrease in the older age group (≥65 years old).
Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first national study in France to provide recent data on hospitalised TBI victims. Our study shows that TBI is a major public health concern in France. As a priority, older people represent a risk group that should be targeted with preventive actions because they have both the highest incidence and case-fatality rates and had the largest increase in incidence rates over the study period.
Keywords: Epidemiologic surveillance; Hospitalisation; Prevention; Traumatic brain injury.
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