title: Causes of traumatic brain injury in patients admitted to Rafidia, Al-Ittihad and the specialized Arab hospitals, Palestine, 2006?2007.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The eruption of Al-Aqsa Intifada created a war situation in Palestine, increasing the number of firearms injuries caused by occupying Israeli forces as well as disabling head injuries. No data were available to the Palestinian Ministry of Health and other health organizations on traumatic brain injury (TBI) in Palestine. This study, therefore, sought to determine the causes and outcomes of TBI in patients who were admitted to three hospitals in Nablus, Palestine.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review of medical records and contacts with patients and/or caregivers.
  
  
  METHODS
  The medical records of patients who were diagnosed with TBI (n=312) and admitted to any one of the three hospitals in 2006 and 2007 were reviewed. Data were also obtained from follow-up home visits and telephone calls with consenting patients and/or caregivers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The major causes of TBI were assault (33%), falls (32.1%), road traffic crashes (29.8%) and impacts from heavy objects (3.2%). Gunshot wounds are a major cause of head injury in Palestine.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study shows that assault with firearms is the most frequent cause of TBI in this population and that patients with head injuries due to assault have poorer outcomes at discharge than those injured in other ways.
authors.affiliation: School Health Division, Directorate of Education, Nablus, Palestine.
authors.forename: Rafif
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Younis
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Younis
authors.forename: Samer
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hamidi
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Musmar
authors.forename: Anthony R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Mawson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018912:Arabs; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008498:Medical Record Linkage; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014857:Warfare; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult