Traumatic brain injury in Brazil: an epidemiological study and systematic review of the literature

ABSTRACT

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious public health problem worldwide. Although TBI is common in developing countries, there are few epidemiological studies. Objective: To investigate the sociodemographic and clinical features of patients with TBI at the Hospital João XXIII, a public reference center for trauma in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and to systematically review the available literature on TBI in Brazil. Methods: Clinical and sociodemographic data were collected from electronic medical records for the entire month of July 2016. The literature on epidemiology of TBI in Brazil was systematically reviewed using MeSH/DeCS descriptors in the PubMed and Lilacs databases. Results: Most patients admitted with TBI were male and under 60 years of age. Mild TBI was the most prevalent form and the most common cause of TBI was falls. A Glasgow Coma Scale score below 12, neuroimaging changes on computer tomography, and presence of any medical conditions were significantly associated with longer hospital stay. Brazilian studies showed that TBI affected mainly men and young adults. In addition, mild TBI was the most common TBI severity reported and the most common causes were motor vehicle accidents and falls. Conclusions: Overall, the profile of TBI in this center reflects the data from other Brazilian studies.

RESUMO

Antecedentes: O traumatismo cranioencefálico (TCE) representa, mundialmente, um problema sério de saúde pública. Apesar de o TCE ser prevalente em países em desenvolvimento, estudos epidemiológicos permanecem escassos. Objetivo: Investigar as características sociodemográficas e clínicas de pacientes acometidos por TCE no Hospital João XXIII - centro de referência em trauma situado em Belo Horizonte, Brasil - e revisar sistematicamente toda a literatura disponível sobre o TCE no Brasil. Métodos: Os dados clínicos e sociodemográficos foram coletados apenas para o mês de julho, 2016, por meio de prontuários eletrônicos. A literatura sobre a epidemiologia do TCE no Brasil foi sistematicamente revisada usando descritores Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)/Descritores em Ciências da Saúde (DeCS) nos bancos de dados PubMed e Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (Lilacs). Resultados: Os pacientes acometidos por TCE eram em sua maioria homens com menos de 60 anos. O TCE leve foi a gravidade mais prevalente entre os casos. O TCE foi causado principalmente por quedas. Escores menores que 12 na escala de Coma de Glasgow mais alterações de neuroimagem em tomografia computadorizada e a presença de qualquer comorbidade médica estão significativamente associados à maior estadia hospitalar. Estudos brasileiros demonstraram que o TCE acomete principalmente homens e adultos jovens. Além disso, o TCE leve foi a gravidade mais comum reportada, e os mecanismos de TCE mais comuns foram acidentes automobilísticos e quedas. Conclusões: O perfil de pacientes acometidos por TCE no centro de referência em questão reflete os dados de outros estudos brasileiros.

Keywords:

Brain Injuries, Traumatic - Brain Concussion - Epidemiology - Brazil

Palavras-chave:

Lesões Encefálicas Traumáticas - Concussão Encefálica - Epidemiologia - Brasil

Authors’ contributions:

ALGM: collected data; JLVMB, MGFC: drafted the manuscript; MGFC, NPR: conducted the statistical analyses; RMF, LCS: proofread the manuscript; ALSM, ALT: designed the study.

Support

This article received financial support from 2016 NARSAD Young Investigator Grant from Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (grant #25414), 2019 “For Women in Science”- L’Oreal Brazil-UNESCO- Brazilian Academy of Science (ABC), FAPEMIG (Fundacção de Amparo aà Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais, Brazil), CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientiífico e Tecnoloígico, Brazil) and CAPES (Coordenacção de Aperfeicçoamento de Pessoal de Niível Superior).

Publication History

Received: 01 April 2021

Accepted: 07 August 2021

Article published online:
31 January 2023

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