Incidence of spinal cord injuries in Germany

Abstract

Purpose The goal of this study was to provide recent data on incidence of spinal cord injuries (SCI) in Germany. Methods The source of information was data collected via the mandatory submission of ICD-10 GM Codes by German public hospitals after patient discharge. Data from 2013 to 2020 were retrieved from the databases of the Federal Bureau of Statistics. ICD-10 Codes for acute SCI were identified. Statistical analysis was performed using Jamovi and Excel. Results A total of 10,360 patients were reported, of whom 58.7% suffered from a cervical, 30.8% a thoracic and 10.4% a lumbar lesion. Two peaks in incidence were observed at approximately 30 and 70 years old. A population-size-adjusted overall incidence of 15.73 (SD 0.77) per million per year was calculated. We calculated the incidences in several subpopulations and discovered significantly higher incidences among males and among those over the age of 60. We discovered that differences in age groups mainly concerned injuries of the upper spine, with the incidence in the lumbar spine being similar among age groups. In addition, we found that while the probability of suffering from SCI increases with age, the relative risk of suffering from a complete injury decreases. Conclusions This study closes a long-lasting gap in epidemiological data regarding SCI in Germany, specifically by updating the incidence rates. We found that incidence depends on age, gender and type of lesion. We also provide some new angles for future research, especially considering the relative reduction in complete injuries among the elderly.

Changing trends in traumatic spinal cord injury in an aging society: Epidemiology of 1152 cases over 15 years from a single center in Japan

“…In fact, the results of this study show that the distribution of the injured population is shifting to a single peak of 60 to 74 years of age. In Germany, a leading country in terms of aging, the most recent report indicates that the peak age of injury is changing to 75–80 years old [ 37 ]. Injury ages and patterns are likely to differ depending on the population distribution and living environment in each country, and the results of this study are expected to reflect the future outlook for other low-middle-income countries.…”

Prähospitale Therapie bei akuter traumatischer Querschnittlähmung

“…Weltweit sind mehr als 2,7 Millionen Menschen von einer Querschnittlähmung betroffen, nach Daten der Weltgesundheitsorganisation kommen jedes Jahr zwischen 250 000 und 500 000 Betroffene hinzu [1]. Für Deutschland zeigte eine Studie von Rau et al [2] eine Inzidenz von 15,73/1 Million Menschen/Jahr. In etwa die Hälfte der jährlichen neuen Fälle gehen auf eine traumatische Ursache zurück [3].…”

Spezielle Behandlungskonzepte bei schwerem Neurotrauma

“…Für Deutschland wird eine Inzidenz von 16 pro 1 Mio. Einwohner beschrieben [20]. Be-züglich der Alters-und Geschlechtsverteilung ergeben sich 2 Altersgipfel (männlich 20-29 und > 70 Jahre, weiblich 15-19 und > 60 Jahre).…”

“…Traumatische Rückenmarkschäden treten am häufigsten in der HWS auf (ca. 60 %), gefolgt von der Brustwirbelsäule (30 %) und der Lendenwirbelsäule (10 %) [20]. sekutiver Exzitotoxizität und Neuroinflammation.…”