Review Paper: Epidemiology of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: Comparisons Between Developed and Developing Countries

Abstract

A review of global epidemiological studies of traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) within 2 decades was undertaken to compare the incidence, mortality rate, patients' age, gender, causes, and severity of injury between developed countries and developing countries. The incidence rates varied greatly, and there was also a 2-fold difference between the highest mortality rate in developing countries and that in developed countries. Male sex and age from 30 to 50 years are strong risk factors in both these groups. Traffic accidents are the leading cause of injury in developed countries, whereas falls are the leading cause in developing countries. To clarify regional differences, future studies should contain long-term data about TSCI characteristics in a region-based population.

Epidemiology of traumatic spinal cord injury in Tianjin, China

“…But such information from developing countries, accounting for 80% of the world population, is relatively less, mainly because of lack of national SCI registers system in these countries. 11 To our knowledge, national or local epidemiological study of SCI has not been made previously in China.…”

Global neurotrauma research challenges and opportunities

“…Unsurprisingly, similar to TBI, information in epidemiological studies from LMICs was limited. Since 2000, at least 7 papers have reviewed the epidemiology of SCI around the world 37-43 and 2 papers have focused on the epidemiology of SCI in LMICs 44,45 . Common conclusions relate to the lack of information available in LMICs owing to the absence of SCI registries -paradoxically, these are regions where incidence of the disease is high according to observational studies.…”

Traumatic spinal cord injury in Botswana: characteristics, aetiology and mortality

“…The global annual estimate is 15-40 per million population with a mean of 23. 1,2 There is a lack of data on the incidence of TSCI in low-and middle-income countries. 2,3 From SubSaharan African countries, annual incidences of 21-29 per million population have been reported.…”

“…2,3 From SubSaharan African countries, annual incidences of 21-29 per million population have been reported. 2 TSCI occurs mainly in young-to-middle-aged populations, 1,[3][4][5][6] and males constitute 63-88% in low/middle-income countries and 75-80% in high-income countries. 1 From Sub-Saharan African countries, the male dominance has been reported to be up to 92%.…”

“…2 TSCI occurs mainly in young-to-middle-aged populations, 1,[3][4][5][6] and males constitute 63-88% in low/middle-income countries and 75-80% in high-income countries. 1 From Sub-Saharan African countries, the male dominance has been reported to be up to 92%. 3,7 Historically, road traffic crashes (RTC) have been the leading cause of TSCI globally.…”