Focused Review Course: Spinal Cord Injury-Epidemiology & Demographics

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The review discusses the demographics and epidemiology of spinal cord injury (SCI) in the United States. There are two primary sources of SCI data: the SCI Model Systems funded by the National Institute for Disability and Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research, and the VA SCI system funded by the VA Medical Center. The estimated annual incidence of traumatic SCI is 54 cases per 1 million people, resulting in approximately 17,000 new cases. The prevalence ranges from 250 to 360,000 people. The age at injury for the model systems is currently 43 years, with 74% being male and the majority being non-Hispanic white. In the VA system, which primarily serves veterans, the average age at injury is 60 years and the gender makeup is approximately 95% male. The cause of injury also varies between the two systems, with falls being the most common cause in the VA system. Additionally, over half of the SCI population in the VA has a non-traumatic diagnosis, with columnar degeneration being the leading cause. Neurological level and extent of injury are described differently in each system, with the VA system providing categories based on high tetraplegia, low tetraplegia, paraplegia, and ASIA D.

Keywords

spinal cord injury

demographics

epidemiology

United States

SCI Model Systems