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Pattern of Paediatric Trauma in North Western Nigeria
Abstract
There is scanty literature on paediatric trauma from the developing countries. This study is aimed at contributing information on childhood injuries in North Western Nigeria.
We prospectively studied childhood admission for accidental trauma at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto over a two year period ( January 1999 to December 2000).
A total of 403 children 15 years and below, were seen during the period. The male to female ratio was 1.8:1. The commonest cause of trauma was road traffic accident (RTA); 35.5% of cases followed by burns; 26.8% and fall; 16.6% of cases. Foreign bodies were responsible for 5.5%, grinding machines for 3.0% and collapsing mud buildings for 1.7% of cases. Pedestrian injuries accounted for 45.5% of RTA victims. The overall mortality was 6.2%.
RTA, with an expressive pedestrian constituent, ranked as the commonest cause of trauma. Socio-economic emancipation, intra-city traffic considerations, abrogation of child labour and provision of adequate water supply should reduce these accidents. Trauma prevention and care programme in developing countries should always address paediatric injuries.
KEY Words: Paediatric, Trauma, North Western, Nigeria
Sahel Medical Journal Vol.7(1) 2004: 32-35
We prospectively studied childhood admission for accidental trauma at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto over a two year period ( January 1999 to December 2000).
A total of 403 children 15 years and below, were seen during the period. The male to female ratio was 1.8:1. The commonest cause of trauma was road traffic accident (RTA); 35.5% of cases followed by burns; 26.8% and fall; 16.6% of cases. Foreign bodies were responsible for 5.5%, grinding machines for 3.0% and collapsing mud buildings for 1.7% of cases. Pedestrian injuries accounted for 45.5% of RTA victims. The overall mortality was 6.2%.
RTA, with an expressive pedestrian constituent, ranked as the commonest cause of trauma. Socio-economic emancipation, intra-city traffic considerations, abrogation of child labour and provision of adequate water supply should reduce these accidents. Trauma prevention and care programme in developing countries should always address paediatric injuries.
KEY Words: Paediatric, Trauma, North Western, Nigeria
Sahel Medical Journal Vol.7(1) 2004: 32-35
