Hyderabad: For World Head Injuries Day on March 20, experts point out that due to heavy motorisation, expansion of roads and over speeding, death due to head injuries in accidents has seen a sharp rise.
According to the government of India, there are 2 million people affected due to road accidents every year and one million die per year due to fatal injuries during accidents.
In united Andhra Pradesh, the total number of deaths due to accidents has increased from 10 per cent to 11 per cent, of which 5 per cent are fatal head injuries, stated experts.
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) are a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, disability and socioeconomic losses in the emerging modern society. While road accidents are the leading cause with 60 per cent of the cases, 25 per cent are due to sudden falls and 10 per cent due to violence. Head injuries due to alcohol related violence is between 15 to 20 per cent.
The fault of the driver contributes to an overwhelming 77.5 per cent of the road traffic accidents in India.
Dr Praveen Ankathi, senior neurosurgeon at Global Hospitals, said, “Road traffic crashes are the leading cause of head injuries, mainly in young adult males. The 10 per cent of people who survive have moderate or severe disabilities. While the rehabilitation of the injured patients has seen a significant improvement, it is only possible if the patient comes on time to the trauma care unit of the hospital.”
In a study carried out in Andhra Pradesh in 2012 it was found that between 2007 to 2009, those surviving head injuries were only 6.4 per cent. But from 2008 to 2011, there was a marked improvement with 4.9 per cent more survival cases.
Senior neurosurgeon, Dr Rama Krishna, said, “This is because the government ambulance service is reaching the injured patients on time and they are arriving at hospitals for trauma care sooner. There is still a problem of trauma care in highways and this requires to be addressed by the government. The proposal to set up trauma centers on highways has still not taken off.”
Also, the safety equipment in cars and vehicles are not at an optimum level. Time and again, bikers have been asked to wear helmets as it protects from head injuries in 85 per cent of the cases.
Trauma experts have been insisting on declaring head injuries as a public health issue due to its increasing numbers, which will pave way for enforcing agencies to ensure that safety measures are strictly followed.
5 per cent of all injuries suffered by elderly
Five per cent of all head injuries are suffered by the elderly people in the 65 to 75-year age group. Most of the time, they are injured at home after slipping on wet floor, tripping over scattered toys/books etc.
Head injury among the senior citizens is responsible for more than 80,000 department visits every year. Almost three-fourth of these cases need hospitalisation. Fifty-one per cent of senior citizens are admitted due to falls at home and only 9 per cent are admitted due to vehicular crashes.
Dr Ameer Basha, senior consultant neurosurgeon, said, “Falls or accidents at an older age have not shown good recovery, especially in the case of head injuries. There have been severe disabilities even in case of small falls.”
