• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.65 no.3
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• pp.334-341
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• 2022

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of death in the pediatric population in Korea. In addition, it can cause disability in children and adolescents, with physical and mental consequences. This causes a substantial burden on the health care system and occurs globally and not just in Korea. We searched and reviewed current data on the epidemiologic characteristics of pediatric TBI in Korea. Our review provides the recent epidemiological trend mainly focusing on incidence and mortality along with worldwide reported data. This review will be helpful to understand the global epidemiology of pediatric TBI and its differences between countries.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.60 no.6
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• pp.710-716
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• 2017

Objective : Among pediatric injury, brain injury is a leading cause of death and disability. To improve outcomes, many developed countries built neurotrauma databank (NTDB) system but there was not established nationwide coverage NTDB until 2009 and there have been few studies on pediatric traumatic head injury (THI) patients in Korea. Therefore, we analyzed epidemiology and outcome from the big data of pediatric THI. Methods : We collected data on pediatric patients from 23 university hospitals including 9 regional trauma centers from 2010 to 2014 and analyzed their clinical factors (sex, age, initial Glasgow coma scale, cause and mechanism of head injury, presence of surgery). Results : Among all the 2617 THI patients, total number of pediatric patients was 256. The average age of the subjects was 9.07 (standard deviation${\pm}6.3$) years old. The male-to female ratio was 1.87 to 1 and male dominance increases with age. The most common cause for trauma were falls and traffic accidents. Age (p=0.007), surgery (p<0.001), mechanism of trauma (p=0.016), subdural hemorrhage (SDH) (p<0.001), diffuse axonal injury (DAI) (p<0.001) were statistically significant associated with severe brain injury. Conclusion : Falls were the most common cause of trauma, and age, surgery, mechanism of trauma, SDH, DAI increased with injury severity. There is a critical need for effective fall and traffic accidents prevention strategies for children, and we should give attention to these predicting factors for more effective care.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.128-133
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• 2009

Purpose: Bicycle riding is a healthy and cheap form of transportation and a popular form of recreation. This study aims to evaluate the epidemiology and the factors affecting the severity of bicycle-related injuries and to find effective methods for preventing injuries. Methods: This is a retrospective study of the patients'characteristics, the injury severity, the injury location, the effect of safety equipment on the bicycle injury based on information collected through the NEDIS (National Emergency Department Information System) from 1,284,429 patients who visited 55 emergency rooms nationwide. Results: During the research period throughout 55 emergency rooms 5,671 patients were seen because of bicycle injuries. The male-to-female ratio was 3.1:1, the median age 28 years old, and 42.6% of the patients were younger than 20 years old. Injury sites were mostly in the extremities(46.7%), the head(32.4%), and the face(14%), and 70.3% of severely injured patients had accompanying head trauma. Males aged 65 and older was possibly associated with severe head trauma. Of the patients who provided helmet information 4.8%(71patients) used helmets, and 95.2%(1392 patients) did not. In this group of patients providing helmet information, none of those wearing helmets died, but 0.4% of those not wearing helmets died. Conclusion: In this study, most bicycle injuries occurred in young adult men. From now, there seems to be a need for more effort on publicity activities on bicycle injuries and on the education of children and teenagers, who show a high incidence rate, and of senior citizens (over 65 years old) who show a high severity rate, about using a safety helmet to reduce the severity of injury.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.159-167
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• 2022

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiology of trauma inpatients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) symptoms diagnosed using computed tomographic angiography (CTA) in Korea. Methods: In total, 7,634 patients admitted to the emergency department of Gachon University Gil Medical Center, a tertiary hospital, and hospitalized between July 1, 2018 and December 31, 2020 were registered for this study. Of these patients, 278 patients who underwent CTA were enrolled in our study. Results: VTE was found in 120 of the 7,634 patients (1.57%), and the positive diagnosis rate of the 278 patients who underwent CTA was 43.2% (120 of 278). The incidence of VTE was statistically significantly higher among those with severe head and neck injuries (Abbreviated Injury Scale, 3-5) than among those with nonsevere head and neck injuries (Abbreviated Injury Scale, 0-2; P=0.038). In a subgroup analysis, the severe and nonsevere head and neck injury groups showed statistically significant differences in known independent risk factors for VTE. In logistic regression analysis, the adjusted odds ratio of severe head and neck injury (Abbreviated Injury Scale, 3-5) for VTE was 1.891 (95% confidence interval, 1.043-3.430). Conclusions: Trauma patients with severe head and neck injuries are more susceptible to VTE than those with nonsevere head and neck injuries. Thus, physicians must consider CTA as a priority for the diagnosis of VTE in trauma patients with severe head and neck injuries who show VTE-associated symptoms.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2012

Objectives: Recently injury has become a major world-wide health problem. But studies in Korea about injuries were very few. Thus, this study was conducted to analyze the trend of major injuries from 1991 to 2006 and to provide basic data for preventing injuries. Methods: This study was based on the National Statistical Office data from 1991 to 2006 and calculated to estimate the burden of major injuries by using the standard expected years of life lost (SEYLL) and total lost earnings equation. Results: For transport accidents, mortality, SEYLL and total lost earnings were increased from 1991 to 1996 and decreased from 2000 to 2006. On the other hand, for suicides, these were increased gradually. Since 2003, falls were included in ten leading causes of death. This study showed that injury causes major social and economical losses. Conclusions: We could reduce injury related premature death through active interest in injury prevention program.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.517-523
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• 2011

Objective: The purpose were understanding the epidemiological characteristics of work related injuries of the farmer and establishing injury prevention and control activity. Background: Agriculture is one of the most hazardous industry and job in Korea. Method: We reviewed previous reports regarding the agricultural injury, injury prevention and control. Results: In the agricultural total injury, there were 45,342 hospitalized injury to farmers, injury rate was 35.8/1,000 farmers/years. Of these injuries, 52.6 percent were classed as work related injury. The farm-related injury rate was 17.5/1,000 farmers/years by analysis of Safety Aid System of Farm Workers. There were 2.4 times as incidence rate for farmers compared to non-farmers. Conclusion: Several strategies are available for injury prevention and control. They are as follows; social concern, survey of farm related injury, injury prevention, injury surveillance system and injury compensation.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.62 no.2
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• pp.243-255
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• 2019

Objective : Although traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs in people of all age groups, the elderly population is at a particular risk. The proportion of elderly population in the society is markedly increasing and Korea is one of the most rapidly aging societies. Here, we analyzed the data from 904 patients older over 65 years who were registered in the Korean Neuro-Trauma Data Bank System (KNTDBS). Methods : The Korean Society of Neurotraumatology recorded data from 20 institutions between September 2010 and March 2014. This retrospective study examined the clinical epidemiology, sex difference, outcome epidemiology, sociodemographic variables, and outcomes in the geriatric population related to TBI based on data from the KNTDBS. Results : The study included 540 men and 364 women. The age distributions in the male and female groups were statistically significantly different. The most common cause of trauma was a fall and diagnosis was acute subdural hematoma. The incidence was the highest in men aged 80-84 years and in women aged 75-79 years. The most common time of arrival to hospital after TBI was within 1 hour and 119 rescue team provided first aid earliest to patients with TBI. The mortality rate stratified according to the cause of trauma was significantly different, with mortality rates of 3.77% in fall and 11.65% in traffic accident. The mortality rates according the severity of brain injury, Glasgow Coma Scale score, and treatment were statistically significant. Conclusion : To our knowledge, this study is the first to focus on elderly patients with TBI in Korea and particularly investigate mortality and characteristics related to TBI-related death based on data from the KNTDBS. Although the study has some limitations, our results may be used to obtain useful information to study targeted prevention and more effective treatment options for older TBI patients and establish novel treatment guidelines and health polish for the geriatric population.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.149-153
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• 2016

Objective : The aim of the present study is to estimate the incidence trend of head injury and the mortality based on traffic accident statistics and to investigate the impacts of rapid industrialization and economic growth on epidemiology of head injury in Korea over the period 1970-2012 including both pre-industrialized and post-industrialized stages. Methods : We collected data of head injury estimated from traffic accident statistics and seven hospital based reports to see incidence trends between 1970 and 2012. We also investigated the population structure and Gross National Income (GNI) per capita of Korea over the same period. The age specific data were investigated from 1992 to 2012. Results : The incidence of head injury gradually rose in the 1970s and the 1980s but stabilized until the 1990s with transient rise and then started to decline slowly in the 2000s. The mortality grew until 1991 but gradually declined ever since. However, the old age groups showed rather slight increase in both rates. The degree of decrease in the mortality has been more rapid than the incidence on head injury. Conclusion : In Korea during the low income stage, rapid industrialization cause considerable increase in the mortality and the incidence of head injury. During the high income stage, the incidence of head injury gradually declined and the mortality dropped more rapidly than the incidence due to preventive measures and satisfactory medical care. Nevertheless, the old age groups revealed rather slight increase in both rates owing to the large population structure and the declining birth rate.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.193-204
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• 1995

Traumatic brain injury(TBI) used to be developed after a severe traumatic event. Therefore TBI usually induces acute or chronic stress reaction. I reviewed the concept, epidemiology, biological or psychosocial etiology, diagnosis and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and discussed about PTSD or stress reaction after TBI. Early evaluation and management of stress reaction after TBI are important.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.192-200
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• 2024

Purpose: Traumatic peripheral nerve injury (PNI), which occurs in up to 3% of trauma patients, is a devastating condition that often leads to permanent disability. However, knowledge of traumatic PNI is limited. We describe epidemiology and clinical characteristics of traumatic PNI in Korea and identify the predictors of traumatic complete PNI. Methods: A list of enlisted soldier patients who were discharged from military service due to PNI over a 10-year period (2012-2021) was obtained, and their medical records were reviewed. Patients were classified according to the causative events (traumatic vs. nontraumatic) and injury severity (complete vs. incomplete). Of traumatic PNIs, we compared the clinical variables between the incomplete and complete PNI groups and identified predictors of complete PNI. Results: Of the 119 young male patients who were discharged from military service due to PNI, 85 (71.4%) were injured by a traumatic event; among them, 22 (25.9%) were assessed as having a complete injury. The most common PNI mechanism (n=49, 57.6%), was adjacent fractures or dislocations. Several injury-related characteristics were significantly associated with complete PNI: laceration or gunshot wound, PNI involving the median nerve, PNI involving multiple individual nerves (multiple PNI), and concomitant muscular or vascular injuries. After adjusting for other possible predictors, multiple PNI was identified as a significant predictor of a complete PNI (odds ratio, 3.583; P=0.017). Conclusions: In this study, we analyzed the characteristics of enlisted Korean soldiers discharged due to traumatic PNI and found that the most common injury mechanism was adjacent fracture or dislocation (57.6%). Patients with multiple PNI had a significantly increased risk of complete injury. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of traumatic PNI, which directly leads to a decline in functioning in patients with trauma.