Suggested citation: Waksman RD. Reduction of injuries due to external causes. Can the pediatrician help? J Pediatr (Rio J). 2004;80:435-6. This issue of the Jornal de Pediatria presents an article that analyzes certain factors related to physical injuries to children and adolescents that resulted in hospital admission, written by Gaspar et al. 1 This is a prospective research study of a one-year period including children under 19 years old who were hospitalized as a result of unintentional

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... ies (accidents), and which raised a number of different considerations of interest to pediatricians. The incidence of intentional and unintentional physical injuries (external causes: accidents and violence) is visibly greater in urban areas, concentrating 75% of all deaths from these causes. 2 The impact of these deaths can be analyzed by means of the relative indicator, years of potential life lost (YPLL), which increased by 30% (from 1981 to 1991) with respect of external causes. It is calculated that deaths and incapacitations due to these causes will increase by 20% over the coming years. 2, 3 These causes occupy on average 10 to 30% of hospital beds. In the study in question, injuries accounted for 9.9% of hospitalizations. The economic impact of accidents and violence in Brazil can be measured directly by means of hospital spending on internments and general hospital stays. In 1997, these accounted for approximately 8% of the total cost of hospital admissions for all causes. Although these values are underestimates as they only refer to admissions via SUS (the Brazilian National Health System), and do not could private or affiliated hospitals, the cost/day of hospitalizations due to injuries and poisoning is 60% greater than the average for other types of admission. 2