title: The association between roofing material and head injuries during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Fourth Military Medical University, School of Stomatology, Xi'an, PR China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: De-lin
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.forename: Li-sheng
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Yan-pu
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Jian-hua
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Yi-min
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: 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