title: In-hospital treated pediatric injuries are increasing in Finland--a population based study between 1997 and 2006.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Injuries are an important public health problem as well as the leading cause of death and disability among children. Our aim was to longitudinally explore the incidence of in-hospital treated traumas, their operative treatment and related mortality among pediatric patients in Finland.
  
  
  METHODS
  The National Hospital Discharge Register and the Official Cause-of-Death Statistics data of in-hospital treated pediatric trauma patients between 1997 and 2006 in Finland were evaluated for hospitalizations, treatment modality and mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fractures (69%) and head injuries (28%) were the most common in-hospital treated traumas (477/100,000 persons/year). These were followed by injuries of intra-abdominal (1.4%), thoracic (1.2%) and urological organs (0.6%). Head traumas constituted 67% of injury-related deaths. During the ten-year follow-up period, the annual incidence (per 100,000 persons) of head injuries decreased by 13.6% (152 in 1997 vs. 131 in 2006, p < 0.0001) mainly contributing to a 30% decrease in overall injury-related mortality incidence (from 5.7 in 1997 to 4.0 in 2006, p = 0.0519). The overall trauma incidence, and incidence of fractures and abdominal injuries significantly increased by 5.0% (p < 0.0001), 13.5% (p < 0.0001) and 37% (p < 0.05), respectively, while the incidence of thoracic and urological injuries remained unchanged. Up to 15% of spleen injuries lead to splenectomy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although overall and head trauma-related mortality is decreasing, the increasing incidence of fractures and abdominal injuries has amplified the overall incidence of severe injuries among children in Finland. A significant number of unnecessary splenectomies are still performed among children.
authors: Section of Paediatric Surgery, Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. janne.suominen@hus.fi
authors: J S
authors: JS
authors: Suominen
authors: M P
authors: MP
authors: Pakarinen
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Kääriäinen
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Impinen
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Vartiainen
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Helenius
mesh_terms: D000007:Abdominal Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D000293:Adolescent; D002056:Burns / Q000453:epidemiology; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000453:epidemiology; D004332:Drowning / Q000453:epidemiology; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012042:Registries; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery