Epidemiology of traumatic brain injury based on clinical symptoms amongst inhabitants of the Southwest Region of Cameroon: a community-based study

Abstract

Background: The majority of studies investigating the epidemiology of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in sub-Saharan Africa are primarily hospital-based, missing fatal, mild, and other cases of TBI that do not present to formal care settings. This study aims to bridge this gap in data by describing the epidemiology of TBI in the Southwest Region of Cameroon. Methods: This was a cross-sectional community-based study. Using a three-stage cluster sampling, local research assistants surveyed households with a pre-tested questionnaire to identify individuals with symptoms of TBI in nine health districts in the Southwest Region of Cameroon from 2016 to 2017. Results: Data gathered on 8,065 individuals revealed 78 cases of suspected TBI. Road traffic injury (RTI) comprised 55% of subjects’ mechanism of injury. Formal medical care was sought by 82.1% of subjects; three subjects died at the time of injury. Following injury, 59% of subjects reported difficulty affording basic necessities and 87.2% of subjects were unable to perform activities of their primary occupation. Conclusions: This study postulates an incidence of TBI in Southwest Cameroon of 975.57 per 100,000 individuals, significantly greater than prior findings. A large proportion of TBI is secondary to RTI.