PHOENIX — The number of traumatic injuries treated at Arizona hospitals increased by 12% last year and resulted in the deaths of 1,716 people, public health officials say.
The Arizona Department of Health Services recently released its 2021 Trauma Report, which shows a significant increase in trauma-related injuries compared to 2020.
The state's trauma centers reported 65,296 trauma incidents in 2021, a 12% increase from 58,041 trauma incidents in 2020. The state also reported 19% more trauma-related deaths in 2021.
"As Arizona’s population continues to expand, the rise of traumatic injuries and deaths represents a significant health and economic challenge for the state," DHS wrote in a statement.
The most common causes of traumatic injuries were falls, firearms, and motor vehicle collisions.
About 7,000 traumatic injuries and 78 deaths trauma-related deaths in 2021 involved children. More than 270 pediatric injuries were caused by abuse and another 234 injuries were caused by bites or insect stings.
Adults 65 and older had the highest trauma rate of any age group in the state.
DHS noted how traumatic injuries are highest in Arizona’s northern region, at nearly twice the injury rate of the state's central region.
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