Are the Aetiologies of Traumatic Injuries Changing in Nigeria? Evidence from the Emergency Department of a Referral Hospital in Southwest Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Traumatic injuries are a serious public health problem. The burden of these injuries is increasing globally, and there is evidence that the pattern is changing. OBJECTIVE: The study had two objectives. The first was to determine the aetiology and clinical spectrum of trauma in a teaching hospital. The second was to determine whether these have changed compared with previous reports from the region. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between September 2017 and August 2018, data from injured patients who presented consecutively to the accident and emergency department at the Federal Teaching Hospital Ido-Ekiti, Nigeria, were prospectively collected using a trauma data form and analysed. RESULTS: Road traffic crashes (RTCs) caused 75.6% of the injuries, and motorcycle crashes accounted for more injuries than all the other major causes of injuries combined. Compared with previous studies from the same hospital, assault has risen to the second position, whereas falls have fallen to the third position as causes of traumatic injuries. The Injury Severity Scores (ISS) of the patients ranged from 1 to 75, with a mean score of 7.01. The mortality rate was 2.5%. Time to treatment: odds ratio (OR) = 3.25 (1.1–10.0), ISS: OR = 1.172 (1.07–1.28), age: OR = 1.097 (1.013–1.188), and systolic blood pressure: OR=1.07 (1.106–1.025) were the significant predictors of mortality. No patient was transported to the hospital in an ambulance. CONCLUSION: The pattern of trauma in the subregion is changing as the proportion secondary to RTCs and motorcycle crashes is higher than previously reported studies from the area. The implication of this finding for the prevention of RTCs is discussed.