Objective To explore the number variation trend of inpatients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in high altitude and plain areas. Methods The first page information in medical records of TBI patients, who were admitted to military hospitals from 2001 to 2007, was searched and extracted from the Chinese Trauma Database. Two military hospitals in high altitude area and another two in the same hospital level in plain area were selected. Then, the number variation trend of TBI inpatients in those two areas was compared. Results In high altitude area, the proportion of male patients and their median inpatient days were higher, while the age, proportion of Han patients and surgery rate were lower than those in plain area (all Plt;0.001). During 2001-2007, there were 9 141 TBI patients discharged from the four hospitals, and the average annual growth rate was 13.15%. In high altitude area, the average annual growth rate of discharged inpatients was 24.00%, while in plain area, it was just 7.09%. The 4 common categories of TBI were intracranial injury, open wound of the head, neck and trunk, skull fracture, and other injuries. Conclusion Compared with the plain area, there are significant differences in the demographics, hospital stay and surgery of inpatients in high altitude area. The average annual growth rate of TBI inpatients discharged from hospitals in high altitude area is faster than that in plain area, to which should be paid attention by relevant departments.
