Citation

Chiu WT, Lin HC, Lam C, Chu SF, Chiang YH, Tsai SH. Asia Pac. J. Public Health 2010; 22(1): 9-18.

Affiliation

Department of Neurosurgery, Taipei Medical University-Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei County, School of Medicine, Taipei Medical University-Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1010539509355470

PMID

20032030

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.

Language: en