[Descriptive study of traffic injuries in the health district of Diema]

Road traffic accidents are major causes of mortality and morbidity. Therefore, we proposed to do a descriptive study of these accidents in the Diéma Referral Health Center during our study period.

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study, which took place in the health district of Diema (Kayes region) from February to July, 2010. It concerned patients victim of road traffic accidents and admitted to the Diema referral health center. Patient information was collected from medical records using a customized questionnaire. Data analysis was done using the SPSS 12.0 software. Quantitative variables were expressed as mean and standard deviation and categorical variables by proportions.

A total of 143 patients were admitted. The prevalence of accidents was 8.66%. The mean age of patients was 31.5 ± 12.2 years. The male sex was the most affected 72%. Automobiles were most involved 67.1%. The frequency of these accidents was higher in March at 30.1%. The injuries were the most common lesions with 86.1% of cases and the head was the most affected with 48.3%. Half of these accidents occurred between 8 o'clock and 12 o'clock. We observed 4.9% of deaths.

Traffic accidents remain true public health problems today because of the serious consequences they generate. To reduce this problem, it is necessary to have well adapted roads and ensure a rigorous application of the rules of the road.