Características de óbitos por causas externas em crianças e adolescentes, segundo registros do Instituto Médico Legal de Feira de Santana

Abstract

Introduction: deaths from external causes are among the main causes of mortality in children and adolescents. Studies indicate that most of these events are preventable. Objective: to characterize the deaths due to external causes, according to sociodemographic variables, the type of death, the immediate cause that led to death. Method: descriptive epidemiological study on the characteristics of external causes of death in children and adolescents, submitted to necropsy in the Medicolegal Institute of Feira de Santana-Ba, from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2015. Results: from 2013 -1015, 466 children and adolescents were killed, due to external causes and examined in the Santana-Bahia Feira IML, 86.3 %% belonged to the male sex; 86.3% were adolescents; 82% were brown; Homicide was the leading cause of death, with 61.6%, followed by traffic accidents, with 23.9% of cases; Being the public place the most frequent occurrence of the cases, with 65.2%; Of all deaths, 60.3% were caused by firearms; With traumatic brain injury being the most frequent among the immediate causes of death, with 33.5%. Conclusion: In Feira de Santana, the profiles found of these victims are young, male, brown and black, with the main type of death, homicide, followed by traffic accidents, such corroborate several studies in this area. The study points the magnitude of external causes as a social problem. In this way, it is necessary to work on the prevention of these causes, in order to reduce early deaths, as well as the economic impact of society's expenditures, besides avoiding emotional and psychological consequences for the families of these young people.