Gender and Trauma
Traumatic injury affects all age groups from young children to the elderly.
Injury is the 5th leading cause of death overall in Canada [1] and the leading cause of death in the age group 1 to 37 years [2].
A significant proportion of the morbidity and mortality associated with injuries is preventable and occurs in younger people who are otherwise expected to have normal life expectancies and productivity.
Males and females have differing risks for injury, these differences have been present historically and continue today.
Seven of the fifteen major causes of death worldwide for men 15-44 years are related to injury [3].
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1. Statcen (1997). Selected leading causes of death, by sex. Statistics Canada.
2. (1999). Firearm Mortality, Natl Viatl Stat Rep 47.
3. WHO (1999). Injury: A Leading Cause of the Global Burden of Disease. Geneva, World Health Organization.
