Epidemiological characteristics of traumatic spinal cord injuries in a multicenter retrospective study in northwest China, 2017–2020

This study examines the characteristics of traumatic spinal cord injuries (TSCIs) in northwest China from 2017 to 2020. It looks at factors like the causes of injury, patient demographics, and how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the number of cases. The study found that TSCI incidence increased from 2017 to 2019 but decreased in 2020, possibly due to COVID-19 restrictions. High falls were the leading cause of injury, and most patients experienced incomplete injuries. Rural patients took longer to receive treatment compared to urban patients. The research suggests that promoting online work could help reduce traumatic injuries, and attention should be paid to timely treatment for rural patients.

• 1
  The number of patients with TSCI showed an increasing trend from 2017 to 2019, while there were 12.8% fewer patients in 2020 than in 2019.
• 2
  The primary cause of TSCI was high falls (38.8%), slip falls/low falls (27.7%), traffic accidents (23.9%), sports (2.6%), and other factors (7.0%).
• 3
  In terms of severity, incomplete injury (72.8%) occurred more often than complete injury (27.2%).