title: The effect of body mass index on trauma severity and prognosis in trauma patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  As in the rest of the world, the prevalence of obesity in Turkey has been increasing in recent years and has become a major public health issue. Although many trials have been conducted to study the effects of obesity on internal diseases, there are few studies investigating the effects of obesity on prognosis of trauma patients. The present study analyzed the effects of body mass index (BMI) on trauma severity and prognosis in trauma patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was prospectively conducted with trauma patients older than 15 years of age who presented at the Dicle University Faculty of Medicine emergency medicine department trauma unit between June 1, 2013 and May 31, 2014. Patients were grouped into high-energy trauma and low-energy trauma groups based on trauma severity. In addition, 4 groups were made according to BMI value (kg/m2). Group I was defined as BMI <25 (normal weight). Group II patients had BMI of 25-29.9 (overweight). Group III had BMI of 30-34.9 (obese), and Group IV was made up of patients with BMI ≥35 (morbidly obese).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Comparison of whole patient population for inter-group differences showed significant differences between rate of head injury, thoracic injury, extremity injury, multitrauma, clinic admission rate, and mortality rate (p<0.001). No significant difference was observed between groups in abdominal injury rate (p=0.347).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinic admission rate, length of intensive care unit stay, mortality rate, multitrauma rate, and injury severity score increased in proportion to greater BMI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, Diyarbakır-Turkey. hmdurgun@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Hasan Mansur
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Durgun
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, Diyarbakır-Turkey.
authors.forename: Recep
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dursun
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, Diyarbakır-Turkey.
authors.forename: Yılmaz
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zengin
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Yildirim Beyazit University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara-Turkey.
authors.forename: Ayhan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Özhasenekler
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, Diyarbakır-Turkey.
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Orak
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, Diyarbakır-Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Üstündağ
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, Diyarbakır-Turkey.
authors.forename: Cahfer
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Güloğlu
mesh_terms: D000007:Abdominal Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000150:complications*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D014421:Turkey; D055815:Young Adult