Epidemiological Review of Spinal Cord Injury due to Road Traffic Accidents in Latin America

Abstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a disease that affects the normal function of the spinal cord. Road traffic accidents (RTAs) represent the main cause of SCI worldwide. SCI may generate physical disability and economic dependency, which is especially significant in low- and middle-income countries such as most of the Latin American countries. The main objective of this study was to present an epidemiological review of SCI secondary to RTAs. Stronger evidence on this condition in Latin America is important for future-specific data collection and prevention strategies. A literature review was carried out using specific search strategies in databases of indexed journals from the period 2000 to 2019. Data on SCI secondary to RTAs in the Latin American region were collected and analyzed. After initial screening and removal of duplicates, 16 articles met the inclusion criteria and were chosen for analysis. Data from 7 Latin American countries were retrievable. On average, RTAs were responsible for 40.81% of SCI. Data from different studies are heterogeneous. Car accidents and moto accidents were equally responsible for SCIs (50.61% vs. 49.06%). The thoracic segments were the most commonly affected (57.87%). Males in their 30s were the most affected category (76.6%). SCI due to RTAs may represent a severe but preventable condition that affects mostly men in their productive age, generating important social and economic issues. Data about this condition in Latin America are scarce, and could limit prevention and treatment strategies. Prospective data collection about this condition is recommended.

Epidemiology of Cervical Spine Injuries Requiring Surgical Treatment in Plovdiv and Plovdiv Region, Bulgaria

“…The mean age of the operated patients was 47.9 years for those injured in a road traffic accident, 56.2 years for those who fell from height of >2 m, and 72.7 years for those who fell from their own height. Notably, the average age of road accident victims in our study was low, as expected; however, it was much higher than that of 30.2 years reported by Fernández Londoño et al 5) A fall from height of >2 m is usually related to a specific job activity and is a characteristic of working-age people. In people aged > 60 years, falls from their own heights were the most commonly observed.…”

Epidemiology of Vertebral Fractures in Chile: A retrospective study in the largest neurosurgery reference center of the country

“…Brazil, but differs from other regions such as North America, Western Europe or Eastern Asia, where tra c accidents are the main cause [17]. It also differs from other countries of the region, such as Colombia or Venezuela, where violence (gunshot wounds) seems to be the main cause of vertebral fractures [15]. Nevertheless, more data from other countries of the region remain scarce or inexistent.…”

“…Even though the use of the AO Spine Classi cation has become widespread globally, the existing information in the Chilean literature -and even in the Latin American literature-about vertebral fractures is scarce. Most of the worldwide incidence and prevalence studies of vertebral fractures include data extrapolated from Brazil to Latin America, since there are very few studies in the region on the subject, and the ndings seem to be rather heterogeneous [14][15][16][17][18].…”

Neurotrauma Registries in Low- and Middle-Income Countries for Building Organized Neurotrauma Care: The LATINO Registry Experience Comment on "Neurotrauma Surveillance in National Registries of Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Scoping Review and Comparative Analysis of Data Dictionaries"

“…Motorcycles are the preferred vehicles in LMICs, generating more risk due to low road quality, poor preventive policies, and low level of reinforcement of healthy behaviors when driving. 11 , 12 Differences in metrics of the Global Burden of Diseases Study show that the burden of trauma affects mostly the young population globally ( Figure 1 ). The data in LMICs — and especially in low-income countries — is misrepresented due to the low availability of sound data registries associated with trauma care ( Figure 2 ).…”