The Burden of Non-communicable Disease in Low-Income Countries: A Retrospective Analysis of Casualty Department Injury Patterns in Moshi, Tanzania

Abstract

Injuries represent a significant and growing public health concern in the developing world. Road traffic injuries in particular contribute to a large extent the increasing number of injury victims in low-income countries. The incidence and types of injuries, their impact on patients and the health care system in the countries of East Africa has received limited attention. This study attempts to examine the number and types of injuries, mechanism of injury, and short-term outcomes in a patient population at a referral and consultant hospital in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania.