Incidence rates of hospitalization related to traumatic brain injury--12 states, 2002

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of death and disability in the United States. Each year, among the estimated 1.4 million persons who sustain a TBI, an estimated 80,000-90,000 experience the onset of long-term disability. Since the early 1990s, CDC has supported state-level, population-based surveillance of TBI associated with hospitalization or death. For 2002, 12 states conducted TBI surveillance according to established CDC guidelines; the 2002 multistate data were finalized in December 2005 and are the most recent available. This report presents the results of TBI surveillance for 2002, which indicated that an estimated 74,517 persons (79.0 per 100,000 population) were hospitalized with TBI-related diagnoses in the 12 reporting states; unintentional falls, motor vehicle traffic (MVT) incidents, and assaults were the leading contributors to TBI-related hospitalizations. The findings underscore the need for states to continue to monitor TBI incidence and to implement effective injury-prevention programs.