'Stealth trauma' in the young and the old: the next challenge for major trauma networks?

[First paragraph] In the UK, reports from the Trauma Audit Research Network (TARN)1 2 have shown that the very young and the very old now outnumber higher profile trauma groups, such as road accidents and stabbings. Other countries have seen similar demographic shifts. The very young and the very old share many societal and medical traits, including late diagnosis of severe injuries that may not be apparent on initial presentation.3 This could be described as ‘stealth trauma’.