Characteristics and Trends of Hospitalized Pediatric Abuse Head Trauma in Wuhan, China: 2002–2011

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Xin Xia¹  Joe Xiang⁵  Jianbo Shao²  Gary A. Smith³  Chuanhua Yu¹  Huiping Zhu⁴ 

[1] School of Public Health, Wuhan University, 115 Donghu Road, Wuhan, 430071, China;Wuhan Children’s Hospital, 100 Hongkong Road, Wuhan, 430016, China;Center for Injury Research and Policy, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 700 Children’s Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA;;School of Public Health and Family Medicine, Capital Medical University, 10 Xitoutiao, Youanmen, Beijing, 100069, ChinaCase Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44120, USA;

关键词: abusive head trauma;    child abuse;    children;    China;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph9114187

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

This study investigated characteristics and trends of hospitalized abuse-related traumatic brain injuries (TBI) treated at a large pediatric medical center in Wuhan, China during the past 10 years. De-identified hospital discharge data for patients 0–4 years old hospitalized at the Wuhan Medical Care Center for Women and Children were analyzed, and ICD-10 codes were used to identify cases of TBI. Medical notes provided by doctors in the medical record were used to identify TBI cases in which suspected child abuse was the cause. From 2002 to 2011, 3,061 pediatric TBI patients were hospitalized and 4.6% (140) of these cases were suspected child abuse-related. The majority of suspected child abuse cases involved children younger than 1 year of age (68.6%) and usually affected males (63.6%). Children with non-Abusive Head Trauma (AHT) were more likely to have full recovery outcome (68.4%, 95% CI: 66.6%–70.0%) than children with suspected AHT (44.3%, 95% CI: 36.1%–52.5%). The proportion of all childhood TBI attributable to abuse did not appear to have increased in the 10-year period at this medical center. This is the first comprehensive study highlighting the important role of suspected child abuse in causing TBIs among Chinese children. Child abuse as a major cause of TBIs among infants in China should be studied further, and there should be greater awareness of this important social and medical problem in China.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2012 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.