title: Epidemiology of Global Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: Qualitative Review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a common condition affecting children all over the world, and it represents a global public health concern. It is unclear how geopolitical, societal, and ethnic differences may influence the nature of TBI among children.
  
  
  METHODS
  A comprehensive literature search was conducted incorporating studies with hospital-, regional-, or country-specific pediatric TBI epidemiology data published between 1995 and 2015. Incidence, age, severity, mechanism of injury, and other relevant injury characteristics were extracted and compared across diverse geographic regions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty articles met inclusion criteria, incorporating TBI data from more than 165,000 children on 5 continents. The worldwide incidence of pediatric TBI ranges broadly and varies greatly by country, with most reporting a range between 47 and 280 per 100,000 children. After the age of 3, male children suffered higher rates of TBI than females. A bimodal age distribution is often described, with very young children (0-2 years) and adolescents (15-18) more commonly injured. Mild TBI (Glasgow Coma Scale ≥13) constitutes more than 80% of injuries, and up to 90% of all injuries are associated with negative imaging. Only a small fraction (<10%) requires surgical intervention. Independent of country or region of origin, the vast majority of children suffering TBI achieve a good clinical outcome. Hospital admission rates vary widely, with U.S. patients more commonly admitted than those from other countries. Falls and motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) represent the majority of injury mechanisms. In Africa and Asia, pedestrians were most commonly injured in MVCs, while vehicle occupants were more likely involved among Australian, European, and U.S.
  
  
  METHODS
  For children, nonaccidental trauma was prevalent in developing and developed nations alike.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TBI is a relatively common entity stretching across traditional geographic and demographic boundaries and affecting pediatric populations worldwide. Continued civil infrastructure development and public health policy reforms may help to reduce the societal burden of pediatric TBI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Electronic address: michael.dewan@vanderbilt.edu.
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Dewan
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
authors.forename: Nishit
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mummareddy
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Wellons
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Bonfield
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D000070642:Brain Injuries, Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D017678:Sex Distribution; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Epidemiology; Global; Pediatric; Traumatic brain injury; Worldwide