Incidence of acute traumatic hospitalized spinal cord injury in the United States, 1970-1977

Abstract

The incidence of hospitalization for acute spinal cord injury in the United States from 1970 to 1977 has been calculated using a detailed subsetting of the National Hospital Discharge Survey (HDS). The overall eight-year incidence was 40.1 (SE = 3.8) per million population in the United States. Patients admitted for spinal cord injury were more than twice as likely to be male (male to female ratio = 2.4:1 and spinal cord injury was particularly common in males ages 20-24 (118.3/10(6)) and 25-34 (98.7/10(6). Blacks also appeared to be at twice the risk than whites. Case fatality during hospitalization was 11.2% overall, was 36% more common in males and increased markedly with advanced age with 35.9% of males greater than or equal to 65 years old dying during hospitalization. The HDS data are in general agreement with previous regional studies of incidence and appear to provide a reasonably valid and cost-effective method for monitoring the national incidence of hospitalized spinal cord injury.