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Past Studies

The Epidemiology of Pediatric Spinal Cord Injury in the U.S.

• Introduction
• Methods
• Results
• Conclusion

Introduction:

Although rare, spinal cord injury represents a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in children in the United States. Spinal Cord Injury, often abbreviated as "SCI", requires long-term medical treatment. It is extremely important to identify populations of people who are at high risk for SCI. This will help to promote prevention and improve treatment on SCI prevention. Epidemiology, the study of patterns, causes and control of disease in groups of people, has never been looked at on a national level in this particular population; there is no national data. Differences in reporting methods, data collection and how injury is classified make conclusions from previous cases inconsistent and difficult to assess. Thus, the objective of this study is to report (for the first time) the national incidence of pediatric spinal cord injury in the United States, explore the demographics, etiologies and risk factors of pediatric spinal cord injury, and to identify specific high-risk populations in an effort to promote prevention and improve treatment.

Methods:

Kids Inpatient Database (KID) and National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) data bases were queried for patients 18 and under with spinal cord injury. KID is a public database with record from 2,784 hospitals in 27 states. NTDB was also used to investigate the mechanisms by which pediatric spinal cord injury occurs. Annual incidence rates were calculated using KID and NTDB and pediatric discharges coupled with U.S. Census Bureau Data.

Results:

• Significant differences in the annual frequency of pediatric spinal cord injury were found to exists based on race and gender.
• African Americans show evidence of a significantly higher rate of pediatric spinal cord injury than Hispanics, Asians and Native Americans. Asians show a lower incidence than all other races.
• Young males are over twice as likely to experience spinal cord injury than females.
• 1,455 children are admitted to U.S. hospitals for spinal cord injury each year.
• The major causes of pediatric spinal cord injury were identified: motor vehicle accident (56%), accidental fall (14%), firearm injury (9%) and sports injury (7%).
• Seat belt use significantly reduces the risk of spinal cord injury in motor vehicle accidents.
• Frequency of spinal cord injury remains steady until about age 12 when it begins a steep rise, peaking at age 18.

Conclusion:

It is possible to identify at-risk demogrphic groups for pediatric spinal cord injury using records from a public databse. These populations should be the targets of preventative measures to help reduce their risk of spinal cord injury. With a better understanding of the elements that make a child more likely to have a spinal cord injury, doctors and parents will be better equipped to think up actions to prevent and treat spinal cord injury in the pediatric population.