Recent demographic and injury trends in people served by the Model Spinal Cord Injury Care Systems.

OBJECTIVE: To identify trends in the demographic and injury data of persons with spinal cord injury (SCI).

DESIGN: Consecutive case series.

SETTINGS: Model Spinal Cord Injury Care Systems throughout the United States.

PATIENTS: A total of 25,054 persons admitted to a Model Spinal Cord Injury Care System within 365 days of injury between 1973 and 1998.

RESULTS: Many trends and changes have been noted in the clinical features of patients who have been admitted to the Model SCI Care Systems. Average age at time of injury is rising; persons older than 60 comprise 11.5% of all persons enrolled in the National Database during the 1994-1998 period. Although the overall male-to-female ratio is greater than 4:1, the proportion of males has decreased significantly in recent years. Violence-related injuries have increased dramatically from 13.9% in 1973-1977 to 21.8% in 1994-1998. Since 1973, the proportions of injuries resulting from vehicular crashes and sports declined while injuries from falls increased. Injury continues to occur most commonly in the summer. When age, race, and gender are considered, violence is a more common cause of injury among individuals who are younger, male, or African American. Complete injuries were more common among younger individuals and among men than among older adults and women.

CONCLUSION: Trends in the national database provide valuable data for tracking groups at risk for traumatic SCI.