The importance of accident-proneness in the aetiology of head injuries in childhood

Abstract

Two series of children with head injuries were studied. The first series consisted of 1,180 cases admitted to a children's hospital over a period of seven years. The ratio of boys to girls was 2·3 to 1. The maximum incidence of cases was in the middle years of childhood. More cases occurred in the summer than the winter months. There was no significant variation in the number of cases according to the day of the week. Two peak frequencies occurred during the day, one at noon and a larger one at 5 to 6 p.m. Falls were the commonest type of accident. Only 1·6% of the children had more than one head injury; none had more than four. In the second series, 30 children with head injuries were matched by age and sex with 30 acute medical cases. No difference was found in the incidence of accidental injuries in the past or family histories of these two groups. A third of the children, and half their parents had a history of accidental injury. The children with head injuries came from slightly larger families. These findings are discussed. No evidence of accident-proneness was found apart from increased liability associated with the male sex.