Changing demographics and injury profile of new traumatic spinal cord injuries in the United States, 1972-2014

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Study documented trends in the demographic and injury profile of new spinal cord injury (SCI) cases over time. Data were collected from the National SCI Database for 30,881 patients with traumatic SCI who received care from 1 of 28 SCI Model Systems centers throughout the United States. To evaluate trends in demographic (age, sex, race, education level, employment, marital status) and injury factors (etiology and severity of injury), data were grouped by decade of injury (1972-1979, 1980-1989, 1990-1999, 2000-2009, 2010-2014). Results indicated that age at injury has increased from 28.7 years in the 1970s to 42.2 years during 2010 to 2014. This aging phenomenon was noted for both sexes, all races, and all etiologies except acts of violence. The percentage of racial minorities expanded continuously over the last 5 decades. Virtually among all age groups, the average education levels and percentage of single/never married status have increased, which is similar to the trends noted in the general population. Although vehicular crashes continue to be the leading cause of SCI overall, the percentage has declined from 47.0 percent in the 1970s to 38.1 percent during 2010 to 2014. Injuries caused by falls have increased over time, particularly among those aged ≥46 years. Progressive increases in the percentages of high cervical and motor incomplete injuries were noted for various age, sex, race, and etiology groups. These findings highlight the need for geriatrics expertise and intercultural competency of the clinical team in the acute and rehabilitation care for SCI.

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