Causes and presentation of traumatic brain injury [TBI] in Khartoum- Sudan

ABSTRACT

To study the causes and pattern of presentation of traumatic brain injury [TBI]. This is a prospective hospital based study. It includes 459 patients who presented to the National Center of Neurological Sciences [NCNS] in Shaab Teaching Hospital in Khartoum, Sudan, with TBI in a period of six months. Some questionnaires prepared beforehand were filled for all patients. The collected data was analyzed using the SPSS computer program. The chi-square [Chi [2]] test and the RHO value were used for statistical significance. TBI was found to affect different age groups from one day to ninety years with a mean age of 27.53 +/- 16.92 years mainly young adults. Male to female ratio was 41; most of them were either of working or studying groups. The most common causes of TBI are Road Traffic Accidents 179 [39.0%], followed by assaults 143 [31.2%] and falls 71 [15.5%]. The presenting symptoms were mainly loss of consciousness 410 [89.3%], scalp and face lacerations in 223 [48.6%] and headache in 160 [34.9%]. TBI affects the productive population. It is caused mainly following motor vehicle accidents and presented mainly by variable degree and duration of disturbance of consciousness