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. 2018 Jul;41(4):450-458.
doi: 10.1080/10790268.2017.1367357. Epub 2017 Sep 7.

Epidemiological study of Spinal Cord Injury individuals from halfway houses in Shanghai, China

Feng-Shui Chang  1 , Qi Zhang  2 , Mei Sun  1 , Hui-Jiong Yu  3 , Long-Jun Hu  1 , Jing-Hua Wu  3 , Gang Chen  1 , Lian-Ding Xue  3 , Jun Lu  1
Affiliations

Epidemiological study of Spinal Cord Injury individuals from halfway houses in Shanghai, China

Feng-Shui Chang et al. J Spinal Cord Med. 2018 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: To describe the characteristics of spinal cord injury (SCI) individuals in Shanghai and examine their treatment and rehabilitation for traumatic and complete SCI individuals.

Design: Community-based secondary data analyses.

Setting: Shanghai, China.

Methods: We analyzed gender, age at injury, complications, disturbances of function, treatment, etiology, and severity of injury of SCI individuals that enrolled in "halfway houses", government-supported community co-op centers. Bivariate statistical analyses were conducted to examine the factors associated with complete and traumatic SCI.

Results: We analyzed 808 SCI individuals who participated in halfway houses in Shanghai during 2009-2015. The male-to-female ratio was 2.1:1. The proportion of middle or elder age groups at injury (age 46 to 60 and age 61 or over) showed a rising trend from 1970 to 2015. The leading causes of SCIs in Shanghai were traumatic injuries (58%), followed by disease (29.5%). The proportion of traumatic injuries decreased over time, while the proportion of non-traumatic injuries rose significantly. A majority of traumatic injury individuals were aged between 16-45.

Conclusion: The middle or elder age groups at injury among SCI individuals increased continuously from 1970 to 2015. The principal causes of injury in Shanghai were traumatic injuries and disease-related injuries. Men had a higher prevalence of traumatic SCI in Shanghai. Preventive measures should focus on male and middle-aged adults. As a fast-aging society in Shanghai, more effective prevention, medical care, and rehabilitation schemes should be implemented for aging SCI individuals.

Keywords: China; Community; Epidemiology; Halfway houses; Spinal cord injury.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of gender by age at injury.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Percentages of age groups by year at injury of SCI individuals (A: male; B: female). The age at injury was divided into five groups: ≤ 15, 16–30, 31–45, 46–60 and ≥ 61 years.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Distribution of etiology by age at injury. The etiology was classified as congenital causes, disease, traumatic causes, or other.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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