title: Multicentric study of epidemiological and clinical characteristics of persons injured in motor vehicle accidents in Medellín, Colombia, 2009-2010.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Traffic accidents (TA) cause 1.23 million deaths each year worldwide while between 20 and 50 million persons are injured each year. In 2011 in Medellin, Colombia, there were 307 traffic deaths and 23.835 injured with 411 accidents for each 10.000 vehicles.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the study was to describe the epidemiologic and clinical characteristics, as well as the quality of life and disability outcomes for those injured in traffic accidents in Medellin.
  
  
  METHODS
  This prospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study collected data from 834 patients that were classified with the New Injury Severity Score (NISS) , the WHO-DAS-II (Disability Assessment) Scale and the SF-36 Health Survey.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three-fourths (75.8%) of the patients were male. Eighty-one percent (81.0%) of patients were involved in motorcycle accidents, with 45.6% suffering moderate trauma, and 32.6% experiencing severe trauma. Of the patients with severe trauma, 8.5% were not wearing helmets. Half of the sample (49.7%) injured their extremities. The WHODAS-II domains most affected were: Activities outside the home (62.0%), Housework (54.3%) and Moving in one's environment (45.2%). Quality of life areas affected were: Physical role (20.3%), Body pain (37.3%), Emotional role (44.1%), Physical functioning (52.6%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with more severe injuries had higher levels of disability and a worse quality of life. Motorcycles made up a large proportion of traffic accidents in this city and mitigation strategies to reduce this public health problem should particularly focus on this high-risk group.
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Rehabilitacion en Salud, Universidad de Antioquia E-mail: luzh.lugo@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Luz Helena
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Lugo
authors.affiliation: Grupo Académico de Epidemiologia Clínica, Universidad de Antioquia. E-mail: higarcia@quimbaya.udea.edu.co.
authors.forename: Héctor Iván
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: García
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Rehabilitación en Salud E-mail: blancaceciliacano@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Blanca Cecilia
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Cano
authors.affiliation: University of Deusto, Bilbao, España. E-mail: jcarango@deusto.es.
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Arango
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Rehabilitación en Salud E-mail: blancaceciliacano@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Olga Lucia
authors.initials: OL
authors.lastname: Alcaraz
keywords: New Injury Severity Score (NISS); SF-36; Traffic accidents; WHODAS-II; disability; injury severity; quality of life