Trauma epidemiology and its consequences in victims referred to Kashan Trauma Center in 2008

Trauma is the most common cause of mortality for people aged 1 through 44 years. Traffic accidents are the leading cause of severe injuries among young people in most countries. This study was conducted to determine the frequency of traffic accident injuries in victims referred to Kashan Trauma Center in 2008.

This cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out on 1004 trauma cases referred to Kashan Shahid Beheshti Trauma Center during the year 2008. Data including age, sex, type of trauma, and type of intra- and/or extra-thoracic injury were recorded and analyzed.

Sixty-six per cent of the cases were male, and the most frequently observed trauma cases were between the ages 21 and 30, followed by 10 and 20. The frequency of trauma in urban and rural areas was 62.5% and 37.5%, respectively. Motorcycle accidents are the most common traffic accidents followed by car accidents.

Considering the large number of trauma cases secondary to the traffic accidents and lower levels of education in those cases, appropriate educational programs may be helpful to decrease the mortality rates and other undesirable consequences of accidents.