The association between roofing material and head injuries during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China.
OBJECTIVE
We analyze the spectrum of earthquake-related head injuries resulting in hospitalization and arising from the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake in China. An additional objective is to assess injury patterns associated with 2 types of roofing structures found in this region of China.


METHODS
This descriptive study included data on trauma patients at 8 hospitals in Jiangyou for the 14 days immediately after the earthquake. The patients were either from Jiangyou County, which experienced a modified Mercalli intensity level of VIII, or from Beichuan County (Mercalli intensity level of X). Of the 5,775 earthquake-related injuries, 1,484 (25.7%) involved the head and were classified into 4 categories. Seven injury mechanisms were also analyzed to determine the association with the 4 types of head injuries.


RESULTS
Scalp injuries (43%) were the most common type of head injuries, followed by facial injuries, 482 (32%), intracranial injuries, 218 (15%), and skull fractures, 117 (8%). Differences in injury type and cause were apparent, with scalp injuries being more common (49%) in Jiangyou than in Beichuan (30%) and falling clay tiles contributing more (40%) to this injury in the former city than the latter (6%). In contrast, precast concrete plank roofing caused 20% of scalp injuries in Beichuan compared with 3% in Jiangyou.


CONCLUSIONS
Scalp injuries were the most common head injury type. Falling clay roofing tiles and precast concrete plank roofs are important injury mechanisms, and their contribution may reflect differences in building construction.
Wang
Lei
L
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Fourth Military Medical University, School of Stomatology, Xi'an, PR China.
Lei
De-lin
DL
He
Li-sheng
LS
Liu
Yan-pu
YP
Long
Yong
Y
Cao
Jian
J
Cao
Meng
M
Wei
Jian-hua
JH
Zhao
Yi-min
YM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015984:Causality; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D055866:Earthquakes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055883:Structure Collapse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult