Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011;34(1):6-10.
doi: 10.1179/107902610X12923394765733.

Spinal cord injury in Manitoba: a provincial epidemiological study

James R McCammon  1 , Karen Ethans
Affiliations

Spinal cord injury in Manitoba: a provincial epidemiological study

James R McCammon et al. J Spinal Cord Med. 2011.

Abstract

Objective: To define the epidemiological trends and identify populations at risk of traumatic and non-traumatic spinal cord injury (NTSCI) for the province of Manitoba, Canada.

Methods: We reviewed records retrospectively for subjects in three cohorts (1981-1985, 1998-2002, and 2003-2007). A total of 553 individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) were studied for variables such as age, level of injury, severity of injury, First Nations (FN) status, and etiology of injury.

Results: Incidence of overall SCi has increased from 22.0 to 46.5 per million (P< 0.001). Incidence of NTSCI increased from 3.12 per million to 16.7 per million (P < 0.001). Incidence of traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) has increased from the 17.1 per million to 25.6 per million (P<0.001). There was a significant increase in the mean age at injury from 30.23 to 45.768 years of age (P < 0.0001). Female and NTSCI have a higher mean and median age at injury. There was a significant (P = 0.0008) increase in the proportion of females with a most recent male/female ratio of 3.4:1. A temporal increase in incomplete injuries was observed (P < 0.0001). Incomplete and thoracic level injuries are more common with NTSCI.

Conclusion: The results demonstrate that there are significant differences between NTSCI and TSCI in Manitoba, and that Manitoba trends in SCI are in keeping with those seen on a national and an international level. There is a high risk of SCI in Manitoba FN, for which preventive strategies need to be put in place, and higher resource structure geared towards. Additionally, the trend of older age at injury has significant implications for structuring acute care and rehabilitation programs for these individuals, enhancing the need for treating older and more medically complicated individuals with SCI.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Dryden DM, Saunders LD, Jacobs P, Schopflocher DP, Rowe BH, May LA, et al. Direct health care costs after traumatic spinal cord injury. J Trauma 2005;59(2):443–9 - PubMed
    1. Dryden DM, Saunders LD, Rowe BH, May LA, Yiannakoulias N, Svenson LW, et al. Utilization of health services following spinal cord injury: a 6-year follow-up study. Spinal Cord 2004;42(9):513–25 - PubMed
    1. Cardenas DD, Hoffman JM, Kirshblum S, McKinley W. Etiology and incidence of rehospitalization after traumatic spinal cord injury: a multicenter analysis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2004;85(11):1757–63 - PubMed
    1. Dryden DM, Saunders LD, Rowe BH, May LA, Yiannakoulias N, Svenson LW, et al. The epidemiology of traumatic spinal cord injury in Alberta, Canada. Can J Neurol Sci 2003;30(2):113–21 - PubMed
    1. Pickett GE, Campos-Benitez M, Keller JL, Duggal N. Epidemiology of traumatic spinal cord injury in Canada. Spine 2006;31(7):799–805 - PubMed

Publication types