title: A systematic review on the influence of pre-existing disability on sustaining injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To systematically review studies measuring the influence of pre-existing disability on the risk of sustaining an injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Systematic review.
  
  
  METHODS
  Electronic databases searched included Medline (Pubmed), ProQuest, Ovid and EMBASE.
  
  
  METHODS
  Studies (1990-2010) in international peer-reviewed journals were identified with main inclusion criteria being that the study assessed involvement of injury sustained by persons with and without pre-existing disability.
  
  
  METHODS
  Studies were collated by design and methods, and evaluation of results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-two studies met the inclusion criteria of our review. All studies found that persons with disabilities were at a significantly higher risk of sustaining injuries than those without. Persons with disability had a 30-450% increased odds (odds ratio 1.3-5.5) of sustaining injury compared to persons without disability. Among persons with pre-existing disability, the high risk groups of sustaining an injury are children and elderly.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  People with disabilities experience a higher risk to sustain an injury in comparison to the healthy population. There is a high need for large epidemiological studies of injury among persons with disability, to better address these unique risk profiles in order to prevent additional disability or secondary conditions.
authors.affiliation: Netherlands Institute for Health Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Centre for Health Protection, Department of Health, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Electronic address: so_dp5@dh.gov.hk.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yung
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Haagsma
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Polinder
mesh_terms: D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*
keywords: Hearing; Injury; Mobility; Pre-existing disability; Speaking; Visual