Epidemiology of traumatic spinal cord injury in Galicia, Spain: trends over a 20-year period

Abstract

Study design: Observational study with prospective and retrospective monitoring.

Objective: To describe the epidemiological and demographic characteristics of traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI), and to analyze its epidemiological changes.

Setting: Unidad de Lesionados Medulares, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario A Coruña, in Galicia (Spain).

Methods: The study included patients with TSCI who had been hospitalized between January 1995 and December 2014. Relevant data were extracted from the admissions registry and electronic health record.

Results: A total of 1195 patients with TSCI were admitted over the specified period of time; 76.4% male and 23.6% female. Mean patient age at injury was 50.20 years. Causes of injury were falls (54.2%), traffic accidents (37%), sports/leisure-related accidents (3.5%) and other traumatic causes (5.3%). Mean patient age increased significantly over time (from 46.40 to 56.54 years), and the number of cases of TSCI related to traffic accidents decreased (from 44.5% to 23.7%), whereas those linked to falls increased (from 46.9% to 65.6%). The most commonly affected neurological level was the cervical level (54.9%), increasing in the case of levels C1-C4 over time, and the most frequent ASIA (American Spinal Injury Association) grade was A (44.3%). The crude annual incidence rate was 2.17/100 000 inhabitants, decreasing significantly over time at an annual percentage rate change of -1.4%.

Conclusions: The incidence rate of TSCI tends to decline progressively. Mean patient age has increased over time and cervical levels C1-C4 are currently the most commonly affected ones. These epidemiological changes will eventually result in adjustments in the standard model of care for TSCI.