Epidemiology of traumatic spinal cord injury in Spain: A ten-year analysis of trend of clinical and demographic characteristics

ContextThe study of epidemiological changes of traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) is needed due to its highly variable incidence.ObjectiveTo determine the incidence of TSCI in Spain and to describe the trend of clinical and demographic characteristics according to age group during a 10-year period.MethodsA prospective cohort study was conducted. A multidisciplinary team evaluated all individuals with new TSCI. The data were recorded according to the International Spinal Cord Injury Core Data Sets.ResultsIn a 10-year period, 933 new patients with TSCI were admitted to the hospital. The annual incidence of TSCI was 6.2 per million. The leading causes of injury were traffic accidents (38.5%), low-level falls (20.6%), and high-level falls (19.1%). Males, age group of 31-45 years, and cervical level of injury were the most common profiles of TSCI. In patients over 60 years,71.5% were injured following a fall, particularly low-level falls (47.2%). In patients under 60 years old, the leading cause of SCI was traffic accidents (46%). The proportion of tetraplegia in patients above 60 years was 68.3%, compared to 43.7% in patients under 60 years of age. Patients in the age group above 60 years were hospitalized with a shorter duration of rehabilitation compared to younger age group.ConclusionsCompared with globally estimated data reported in previous studies, this research demonstrated a low incidence of TSCI in Spain, suggesting a decrease in the last years. Falls and traffic accidents were the most common causes of TSCI in elderly and youth, respectively. Prevention programs should focus on these issues.