National Surveillance of Injury in the Republic of Korea: Increased Injury Vulnerability in the Late Middle Age

Surveillance of injury patterns and comparisons among different age groups help develop a better understanding of recent injury trends and early prevention. This study conducted a national surveillance of injury by age group. Data were collected retrospectively from Emergency Department-Based Injury In-Depth Surveillance (EDIIS) in South Korea, between January 2011 and December 2017. Patients were divided into the following four groups by age: Group 1–18 to 34 years, Group 2–35 to 49 years, Group 3–50 to 64 years, and Group 4—≥65 years. A total of 1,221,746 patients were included in the study. Findings revealed that, each year, the injury rate increased in the population aged ≥65 years. The place and mechanism of injury in Group 3 were similar to those in younger age groups, while injury outcomes and injured body parts were similar to those in Group 4. Further, hospital admission rate, ICU admission rate, hospital death, traumatic brain injury, and injury severity increased with an increase in age. In our study, each age group showed diverse characteristics pertaining to the mechanism, place, time, and outcomes of injuries. Interestingly, Group 3, which represented the late middle age, exhibited increased vulnerability to injury, and emerged as a gray zone between the young and old age groups. Therefore, different injury prevention methods are needed for each age group. Specifically, early prevention methods need to be implemented from the late middle age to improve the old age group’s injury outcomes.