Media Release
From: New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA)Key points
· While men and women have similar stroke risk, men are at twice the relative risk of mild TBI and three times the relative risk of moderate/severe TBI
· More TBI cases (35.6%) were identified through non-medical sources compared to stroke (3%).
· Incidence of TBI was >5 times that of stroke.
· New Zealand European/Pakeha had the highest TBI incidence when <5 years of age, while Māori had the highest incidence after 5 years.
· For stroke, Pacific people and Māori had higher incidences until 75-84 years, after which Europeans had higher incidence.
Summary
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke result in significant disability within our communities and require significant medical input. Understanding the differences in who is at greatest risk and how these risks differ can assist in how prevention programmes are targeted and help ensure funding decisions are evidence based.