Summary

Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a main cause of death and morbidity, especially among the young. According to the Danish national hospital registration system, one third of all deaths among the 15-24 year old in Denmark in the 1980’s were caused by TBI. An estimated 4-500 per year (8-10 per 100,000 of the total population) of mainly young persons survive with protracted mental and/ or physical sequelae. Hitherto, however, prospective epidemiological investigations have not been carried through in this field in Denmark. Traffic is among the most important external causes of severe TBI. In Denmark, the number of traffic accidents has been reduced considerably during the latest 20 years through preventive measures. A survey of their effect, and of the effect of preventive measures towards other causes of TBI has hitherto been lacking. According to the literature, it has been known for 60 years that mental sequelae after TBI are more frequent and also more troublesome to the patients and their families than are the physical sequelae. Traditionally, however, rehabilitation has focused mainly on physical and ADL-deficits. There is a need to investigate to what extent the consequences of long-standing knowledge have been taken in TBI rehabilitation of today.