Abstract:
The incidence of fatal injuries in children has been reported to
be highest among children aged 1 to 4 years. Major causes of head injury
include road traffic accidents, falls, and intentional or inflicted injury (such
as nonaccidental injury syndrome). This study reviewed the profile of
children (under 5 years of age) who had been admitted to a large urban
medicolegal mortuary (in Pretoria, the capital city of South Africa), after
having suffered fatal head injuries. This study was conducted over a 5-year
period (fromJanuary 2004 through December 2008), and a total of 107 cases
were identified for inclusion. These cases constituted nearly a fifth of admissions
in this age group. The male-to-female ratio was 56%:44%, and
the peak age of injury was less than 1 year. Most head injuries were sustained
in road traffic accidents (70%) followed by falls (10%) and other
types of blunt force injuries (9%). Only 1 case of nonaccidental injury syndrome
(child abuse) was found. The great majority of deaths were deemed
to have been accidental in nature (91%) with 6 (6%) homicides. Urgent review
pertaining to the use of child restraint devices and the safety of pedestrians
is required, and the institution of childhood injury registers
could aid in reducing childhood fatalities in South Africa.
