Epidemiology of violence in a Danish municipality. Changes in severity during the 1980s

Between April 1987 and April 1988, all assault victims attending the two casualty wards and the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Arhus were registered, and an extensive questionnaire was completed by the casualty ward physician. These data were compared with the data from an analogous study undertaken six years earlier. A total of 1874 patients were victims of personal violence in 1987 compared to 1639 in 1981. The most common cause of injury was one or more blows from a fist and/or kicks (used in approximately 70% of all cases). The present study demonstrated an increasing use of firearms and assaults involving attempts to strangle the victim. Ninety-eight percent of the injuries were classified as no injury or AIS-grade 1-2 in both 1981 and 1987. The number of AIS-grade 2 injuries increased from 1981 to 1987 due to an increased number of facial injuries, but the number of homicides and AIS-grade 4-6 injuries decreased in the interval. Based on the present study, it is concluded that the severity of interpersonal violence did not increase in the Arhus area in the 1980s.