Epidemiology and demography of acute spinal cord injury in a large urban setting

In a large, single-center study of subjects with acute traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI), we describe the sample population with respect to gender, age, cause of injury, and severity of injury, to see whether these properties are similar to those of other large-scale studies of acute SCI conducted in the past.

As part of a study to examine the natural pattern of recovery after acute SCI (presented elsewhere), descriptive information was gathered in relation to subject population and injury properties.

A total of 229 subjects were recruited. The study population had a higher percentage of women and a higher mean age of men and women than those of most other published studies of acute SCI. A greater percentage of incomplete subjects was also encountered. The incidence of gunshot injury as a cause of SCI was considerably lower in this study than had been the case 10 years previously in Dade County, Florida.

The demography of acute SCI within a major urban center of South Florida suggests a trend toward less severe injury than in years past. These findings support the development of animal models for testing SCI treatment that include cohorts having mild to moderate injury severity, in order to achieve greater clinical relevance.