Change in the profile of traumatic spinal cord injury over 15 years in Spain (original) (raw)

Incidence of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury in Aragón, Spain (1972–2008)

Journal of Neurotrauma, 2011

Long-term incidence studies are required to identify high-risk groups, establish trends, and forecast needs, and thus contribute to health care planning in spinal cord injury (SCI). This study aimed to determine the incidence of traumatic SCI over a 36-year period in Aragó n, Spain, and compare rates with other published European estimates. Hospital records from the Servet Hospital, the only specialized SCI unit in the region, of a retrospective cohort with traumatic SCI between January 1972 and December 2008 were reviewed. Specification of SCI patient demographics, injury causes, and related factors was achieved by utilizing medical records available for inpatients, hospital archives, and central databases. A total of 540 cases were reported over the 36-year study period (79% were male). The age-and sex-adjusted incidence rate was 15.5 per million population (18.8 for males and 4.9 for females). Two incidence peaks were suggested, in the 20-to 29-year and 60-to 69-year age groups. Traffic accidents and falls were the main causes of injury. The highest peak occurs in young adults, mainly caused by traffic accidents. The majority of the lesions were at cervical or thoracic level, and ASIA grade A was most frequently observed. The proportion of SCI cases in persons older than 60 years, mostly due to falls, is increasing. The age-adjusted incidence rates found for the region of Aragó n in Spain fall within the range of other published European estimates. Comparative epidemiological features for 2001-2008 suggest that there is room for prevention.

Spinal cord injuries – Epidemiology in Portugal's central region

Spinal Cord, 1998

This study concerns spinal cord injuries (SCI) in a region of Portugal with a population of 1 721 650 inhabitants. Legislation has made it possible to identify deaths occurring during collection and transport. Between 1989 and 1992, 398 new cases of spinal cord injuries were identi®ed, of which 77% were male and 23% female. The average age was 50, with a range of between 1 and 92. As far as the type of injury is concerned, there were 154 isolated SCI (38.7%); in 120 cases (30.1%) there were multiple associated injuries; in 66 cases (16.6%) there was an associated traumatic brain injury; in 34 cases (8.5%) there was an associated trauma of the thorax. In the hospitals concerned no Injury Severity Score (ISS) was carried out during hospitalization. Sixty-four (16%) were dead upon arrival at hospital, and 159 (40%) died before release. The average length of hospitalization was 26.6 days, with the maximum being 539 days. The annual incidence rate is 57.8 new cases per million inhabitants, including those who died before being admitted to hospital. The annual survival rate is 25.4 new cases per million inhabitants. The death rate is very high during the ®rst week, peaking during the ®rst 24 h.

Epidemiology of Post-Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury in a Tertiary Hospital

Acta Ortopédica Brasileira

Objective: to outline the profile of risk groups for spinal cord injury (SCI) at the Hospital de Clinicas de Campinas by an epidemiological survey of 41 patients with SCI. Methods: Data from patients with SCI were collected and analyzed: demographic data, level of neurological injury, visual analogue scale (VAS), and the current American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment scale (AIS), using questionnaires, medical records, and imaging tests. Fisher’s exact test was used to assess the relationship between categorical variables, Spearman’s correlation coefficient was used for numerical variables, and the Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to analyze the relationship between categorical and numerical variables, with significance level of 5%. Results: There was a prevalence of 82.9% of men, a mean age of 26.5 years, and traffic accidents as the cause of SCI in 56.1% of cases. Conclusion: Results suggest the importance of SCI prevention campaigns directed at this po...

Incidence of Nontraumatic Spinal Cord Injury: A Spanish Cohort Study (1972–2008)

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2012

Objectives: To assess the incidence of nontraumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) in a determined catchment area in Spain, and to evaluate clinical presentations and trends over time. Design: Retrospective cohort study between January 1972 and December 2008. Setting: A hospital with a specialized SCI unit in a delimited health area in Spain. Participants: Hospital inpatients and outpatients with nontraumatic SCI. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Age-and sex-specific incidence rates. Results: An adjusted incidence rate of 11.4 per million population was found for this region (12.3 for males, 10.4 for females). A total of 541 cases (53% male) were reported over the 37-year study period. Incidence rates increased with age, with a peak in the 60-to 69-year age group. Tumors were the major cause of SCI. Most of the lesions were at the thoracic level, and C and D were the most frequently observed American Spinal Injury Association grades. Conclusions: Nontraumatic SCI shows a relatively even sex distribution and tends to affect older adults. Injuries are mainly attributable to age-related conditions and result mostly in incomplete lesions, which present with paraplegia. This study revealed that although incidence rates for nontraumatic SCI are similar to those previously reported for traumatic SCI in the same area and during the same period, demographic and clinical characteristics are different. These findings have important implications regarding the delivery of rehabilitation and support services to this group of patients, and suggest the need for health policies that involve improved care and prevention resources.

Global prevalence and incidence of traumatic spinal cord injury

Clinical Epidemiology, 2014

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a traumatic event that impacts a patient's physical, psychological, and social well-being and places substantial financial burden on health care systems. To determine the true impact of SCI, this systematic review aims to summarize literature reporting on either the incidence or prevalence of SCI. Methods: A systematic search was conducted using PubMed, MEDLINE, MEDLINE in process, EMBASE, Cochrane Controlled Trial Register, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews to identify relevant literature published through June 2013. We sought studies that provided regional, provincial/state, or national data on the incidence of SCI or reported estimates of disease prevalence. The level of evidence of each study was rated using a scale that evaluated study design, methodology, sampling bias, and precision of estimates. Results: The initial search yielded 5,874 articles, 48 of which met the inclusion criteria. Forty-four studies estimated the incidence of SCI and nine reported the prevalence, with five discussing both. Of the incidence studies, 14 provided figures at a regional, ten at a state or provincial level and 21 at a national level. The prevalence of SCI was highest in the United States of America (906 per million) and lowest in the Rhone-Alpes region, France (250 per million) and Helsinki, Finland (280 per million). With respect to states and provinces in North America, the crude annual incidence of SCI was highest in Alaska (83 per million) and Mississippi (77 per million) and lowest in Alabama (29.4 per million), despite a large percentage of violence injuries (21.2%). Annual incidences were above 50 per million in the Hualien County in Taiwan (56.1 per million), the central Portugal region (58 per million), and Olmsted County in Minnesota (54.8 per million) and were lower than 20 per million in Taipei, Taiwan (14.6 per million), the Rhone-Alpes region in France (12.7 per million), Aragon, Spain (12.1 per million), Southeast Turkey (16.9 per million), and Stockholm, Sweden (19.5 per million). The highest national incidence was 49.1 per million in New Zealand, and the lowest incidences were in Fiji (10.0 per million) and Spain (8.0 per million). The majority of studies showed a high male-to-female ratio and an age of peak incidence of younger than 30 years old. Traffic accidents were typically the most common cause of SCI, followed by falls in the elderly population. Conclusion: This review demonstrates that the incidence, prevalence, and causation of SCI differs between developing and developed countries and suggests that management and preventative strategies need to be tailored to regional trends. The rising aging population in westernized countries also indicates that traumatic SCI secondary to falls may become an increasing public health challenge and that incidence among the elderly may rise with increasing life expectancy.

Mortality due to traumatic spinal cord injuries in Europe: a cross-sectional and pooled analysis of population-wide data from 22 countries

Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine

Background: Traumatic spinal cord injuries (TSCI) pose a significant burden globally, while existing epidemiological data-especially on population mortality-are limited. The aim of this study was to calculate the age-standardized population mortality rates attributable to TSCI in 22 European countries, along with the pooled age-standardized mortality rate attributable to TSCI in Europe. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted. Crude and age-standardized mortality rates attributable to TSCI for the year 2012 for 22 European countries were compared using data from death certificates provided by Eurostat. Pooled age-standardized mortality rates were calculated using the random effects model, and overall number of cases were estimated by extrapolating our findings to the populations of EU and Europe (48 countries), in 2012. Results: A total of 1840 TSCI-related deaths were identified, of which 1084 (59%) were males. The pooled agestandardized TSCI-related mortality rate of 6.7 per million (95% CI: 5.2 to 8.2) overall, 9.4 (95% CI: 7.3 to 11.5) for males, and 4.5 (95% CI: 3.4 to 5.6) for females. Extrapolating our results, 3152 (95% CI: 2441 to 3915) deaths would occur in 2012 in the EU-28 and 4570 (95% CI: 3538 to 5675) deaths in the whole Europe. TSCI-related deaths contributed by 2% (95% CI: 1.8% to 2.2%) to the overall injury related mortality. 61% of fatal TSCI were located in the cervical spine area. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the largest study that reports TSCI-related population-based mortalities to date which brings valuable information that can inform further research or prevention strategies. Our study presents a comprehensive and large-scale overview of TSCI-related population mortality in Europe. With an estimated toll of nearly five thousand lives that could be potentially saved by prevention, our findings confirm TSCI as an important cause of injury related deaths in Europe. Further action towards harmonization of case ascertainment and towards prevention strategies targeted mainly on the elderly is warranted.

The profile of spinal injuries in Porto Alegre

Fisioterapia e Pesquisa, 2013

janeiro de 2005 a janeiro de 2010 foi investigado retrospectivamente a partir da coleta de dados em registros médicos. Foram analisados 1320 prontuários, dos quais 63,3% eram do sexo masculino, com média de idade de 47,02±19,60 anos. Os mecanismos de TRM que prevaleceram foram queda de altura (27,2%), acidente de trânsito (25,8%) e queda da própria altura (13,2%), e os níveis da coluna vertebral mais acometidos foram lombar (35,6%), torácico (21,9%) e cervical (20,5%). Da amostra total, 10,7% dos indivíduos que sofreram TRM apresentaram lesão medular (LM), com maior prevalência da lesão incompleta (63,3%). O TRM em Porto Alegre acomete principalmente homens na meia-idade, que tiveram na queda de altura a etiologia mais frequente e no nível lombar o mais acometido. A LM ocorreu mais em indivíduos jovens, sendo o nível cervical o mais lesado. Esses achados são importantes para orientar a alocação eficiente de recursos para o manejo desses agravos e suas repercussões e para prevenir a sua ocorrência nas populações em risco. Descritores | traumatismos da coluna vertebral; compressão da medula espinal; traumatismos da medula espinal; epidemiologia. RESUMEN | Este estudio transversal fue desarrollado con el objetivo de trazar el perfil de la población que sufrió trauma raquimedular (TRM) y fue internado en hospitales de emergencia de Puerto Alegre/RS. El perfil de la población que sufrió TRM de enero de 2005 a enero de 2010 ABSTRACT | This transversal study aimed at determining the profile of the population who suffered spinal injury (SI) and was admitted to emergency hospitals in Porto Alegre/RS. The profile of the population who had SI between January 2005 and January 2010 was retrospectively investigated through data collected from medical records. A total of 1320 records were analyzed, of which 63.3% were male, with a mean age of 47.02±19.6 years. The most prevalent spinal cord injury (SCI) mechanisms were falls from a height (27.2%), traffic accidents (25.8%) and falls from own height (13.2%) and the spinal levels that are usually affected were lumbar (35, 6%), thoracic (21.9%) and cervical (20.5%). Only 142 (10.7%) individuals who had a SI SCI, with a higher prevalence of incomplete lesion (63.3%). In Porto Alegre SI affects mainly middle aged men, who fell from a height and had the lumbar level as the most affected. The SCI affects younger individuals at the cervical level. These findings are important to guide the efficient allocation of resources for the management of these injuries and their repercussions and to prevent this kind of event in the risk population. Keywords | spinal injuries; spinal cord compression; spinal cord injuries; epidemiology. RESUMO | Este estudo de coorte retrospectivo foi desenvolvido com o objetivo de traçar o perfil da população que sofreu trauma raquimedular (TRM) e foi internada em hospitais de pronto atendimento de Porto Alegre/RS. O perfil da população que sofreu TRM de The profile of spinal injuries in Porto Alegre Estudo do perfil do trauma raquimedular em Porto Alegre Estudio del perfil de trauma raquimedular en Puerto Alegre

Incidence of spinal cord injuries in Constanta County (Romania) between 2017-2021

Balneo and PRM Research Journal

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigated cases of spinal cord injury (SCI) during the years 2017-2021, in Constanta County (Romania) to update the data on SCI and thus identify the SCI trends in this region of Romania. Methods: The study retrospectively analysed patients with SCI in Constanța County, whose data (medical records) were provided to us by the Romania Motivation Foundation. This analysis was made for the period January 1, 2017 - August 31, 2021. Results: Ninety-six new traumatic cases of SCI were reported between 2017 and 2021 in Constanța County. It was found that the annual incidence is 2.48 per hundred thousand inhabitants. The male / female ratio was 5:1 and the mean age at injury was 33.52 ± 15.1 (33.41 ± 14.80 for men and 33.92 ± 16.01 for women). The most common cause of injury was unintentional fall (48.95%), followed by road accidents (39.58%), stab wounds (4.16%), gunshot wounds (3.12%) and injuries caused by diving 2.08%). Fifteen patients (15...