Are head injuries more common in males due to accidents?

From the Guidelines

Head injuries are more common in males due to accidents, with males having higher rates of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) across most age groups, particularly in adolescents and young adults. This gender disparity is attributed to several factors, including greater participation in high-risk activities, more aggressive driving behaviors, increased risk-taking tendencies, and higher rates of occupational hazards in male-dominated industries, as reported in studies such as 1. The study published in 2023 in the Annals of Emergency Medicine highlights the significance of TBIs, with approximately 223,135 TBI-related hospitalizations and 64,362 TBI-related deaths in the United States in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

Some key points to consider include:

• Males are more likely to engage in behaviors involving alcohol and substance use that increase injury risk, as noted in 1.
• The higher incidence of head injuries in males is a pattern that begins in childhood and continues throughout the lifespan, though the gap narrows somewhat in older age, as discussed in 1.
• Understanding these gender differences is crucial for developing targeted prevention strategies and appropriate resource allocation for treatment and rehabilitation services, as emphasized in 1.
• The economic and societal burden of TBIs is substantial, with a lifetime economic cost of $76.5 billion in the United States in 2010, as reported in 1.

Overall, the evidence suggests that head injuries are indeed more common in males due to accidents, and this disparity is attributed to a combination of factors, including behavioral and environmental factors, as well as occupational hazards. Therefore, it is essential to prioritize prevention and appropriate management of TBIs, particularly in males, to reduce the economic and societal burden on individuals and society.

From the Research

Head Injuries in Males due to Accidents

• Head injuries are a significant cause of mortality worldwide, and the head is the most vulnerable part of the body involved in fatal road traffic accidents 2.
• A study on fatal head injuries due to vehicular accidents in Mangalore found a marked male preponderance of 84.6% 2.
• The most vulnerable age group for head injuries was found to be between 21 and 30 years, with two-wheeler occupants being most commonly involved 2.
• Another study on head injuries in motor vehicle crashes found that adults had a higher risk of severe head injury (AIS 4+) than children, with 16,980 ± 2,411 adults experiencing severe head injury out of 3,930,543 exposed adults annually 3.
• The same study found that males were more likely to be involved in motor vehicle crashes, with 75% of participants being male 4.
• A study on head and maxillofacial injuries in child and adolescent victims of automotive accidents found that victims were mostly adolescents aged from 15 to 19 years, males (73.7%), and motorcyclists (51.3%) 5.
• Head injuries occurred more frequently in children aged 0-4 years and pedestrians, while facial and maxillofacial injuries occurred in a higher proportion among females 5.
• A study on brain trauma in head injuries presenting with and without concurrent skull fractures found that virtually all decedents with skull fractures had brain injuries, and the most common injury in both groups was motor vehicle accidents (MVA) 6.