Nationwide epidemiology of hospitalized patients with first-time traumatic brain injury with special reference to prevention.

The national data of hospitalized TBI-patients were gathered retrospectively during the years 1991-95 from the Hospital Discharge Register. The inclusion criteria were: TBI as the primary diagnosis (ICD-9: 800, 801, 803, 850, 851-854), no history of previous TBI during the previous three years and the hospitalization of the patient. The incidence of TBI varied from 4 793-5 055 (95-100 per 100,000 people), comprising altogether 24,497 patients. The biggest subgroups of external cause were the sudden fall (61%) and vehicle accidents (26%). The biggest subgroups of the place of accident were the home (33%) and the traffic area (30%). The data reflect an assumption that many causes of TBI are preventable.