Non-traumatic spinal cord injury in Norway 2012-2016: analysis from a national registry and comparison with traumatic spinal cord injury

Study design Registry-based cross-sectional study. Objectives To describe and analyze epidemiological and demographic characteristics of non-traumatic spinal cord injury (NTSCI) and to compare persons with NTSCI and traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI). Setting A total of 225 non-traumatic and 349 traumatic SCI patients were admitted for primary rehabilitation at one of the three specialized SCI departments in Norway (located in Bergen, Trondheim, and Oslo) from 2012 to 2016. Patients who consented to registration in the Norwegian Spinal Cord Injury Registry (NorSCIR) were included. Methods Data were collected using the International SCI Core Data Set, as recommended by the International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS). Demographics and injury characteristics were analyzed descriptively. The NTSCI and TSCI groups were compared using a Mann-Whitney U test and chi-square test. Results The mean age of the NTSCI patients was 55 years, and 59% were male. The incidence of NTSCI was 7.7-10.4 per million person-years, which is lower than the incidence of TSCI. NTSCI individuals were older, less severely injured, and their length of stay at the hospital was shorter than the TSCI individuals. The results may be influenced by the inclusion criterion in the registry. This makes the analyzed sample for NTSCI less complete. However, the majority of patients with non-progressive NTSCI are included in the NorSCIR. Conclusion For the first time, we are able to provide the national epidemiological status on NTSCI based on available data from the national registry. Further studies are required to improve the capture of NTSCI for future incidence studies.