Traumatic injury among females: does gender matter?

J Trauma Manag Outcomes. 2014 Jul 28:8:8. doi: 10.1186/1752-2897-8-8. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Background: Trauma remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Generally, the incidence of traumatic injuries is disproportionately high in males. However, trauma in females is underreported.

Aim: To study the epidemiology and outcome of different mechanisms and types of traumatic injuries in women.

Methods: We conducted a traditional narrative review using PubMed, MEDLINE and EMBASE, searching for English-language publications for gender-specific trauma between January 1993 and January 2013 using key words "trauma", "gender", "female" and "women".

Results: Among 1150 retrieved articles, 71 articles were relevant over 20 years. Although it is an important public health problem, traumatic injuries among females remain under-reported.

Conclusion: There is a need for further research and evaluation of the exact burden of traumatic injuries among females together with the implementation of effective community based preventive programs.

Keywords: Female; Gender; Injury mechanisms; Trauma.

Publication types

  • Review