Citation

Puvanachandra P, Hyder AA. Salud Publica Mex. 2008; 50(Suppl 1): S3-5.

Affiliation

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica)

DOI

10.1590/S0036-36342008000700002

PMID

18373006

Abstract

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a critical public health problem affecting more than 10 million people worldwide and is set to surpass many diseases as the leading cause of mortality and morbidity by the year 2020. The burden of this often neglected injury disproportionately affects low and middle income countries (LMICs) which face not only a higher preponderance of risk factors for TBI but also have less developed health systems to deal with the associated health outcomes. Thus, both the incidence of TBI and the case-fatality from TBI can be high and devastating.

Given that TBI can lead to significant mortality and long term morbidity, not to mention the social and financial implications, the silently growing epidemic of this injury is a pressing public health concern. The lack of data concerning the burden of TBI within LAC should be addressed to develop a detailed epidemiological profile in order to plan comprehensive TBI prevention programs. Prioritizing and coordinating funds for the generation of appropriate evidence and research is critical to meet the need to promote evidence-based policy for TBI in the region.

Language: en