title: Deaths due to traumatic brain injury in Austria between 1980 and 2012.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To investigate changes in TBI mortality in Austria during 1980-2012 and to identify causes for these changes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Statistik Austria provided data (from death certificates) on all TBI deaths from January 1980-December 2012. Data included year/month of death, age, sex, residency of the cases and mechanism of accident. Data regarding the size of the age groups was obtained from Statistik Austria. Mortality rates (MR; deaths/10(5) population/year) were calculated for male vs. female patients and for different age groups. Changes in mechanisms of TBI were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The MR decreased from 28.1 to 11.8 deaths/10(5) population/year. Traffic-related TBI deaths decreased from 62% to 9%. This caused a significant decrease in TBI deaths in younger age groups. Fall-related TBI deaths (mostly geriatric cases) remained unchanged. Falls became the leading cause; its rate increased from 22% to 64% of all TBI deaths. Thus, the mean age of fatal TBI cases increased by 20 years and the rate of cases aged <60 years decreased from 71% to 28%. Another important cause was suicide by firearms; its rate increased from 10% to 23% of all TBI deaths.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings warrant better prevention of falls in the elderly and of suicides.
authors.affiliation: Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Trauma Hospital 'Lorenz Boehler' , Vienna , Austria .
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mauritz
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brazinova
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Majdan
authors.forename: Veronika
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rehorcikova
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leitgeb
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control; D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001317:Austria / Q000453:epidemiology; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016208:Databases, Factual; D003644:Death Certificates; D005260:Female; D006708:Homicide / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013405:Suicide / Q000639:trends*; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control; D000092864:Suicide Prevention
keywords: Age; epidemiology; mortality rate; sex; traumatic brain injury deaths