J. Surkin et al., SPINAL-CORD INJURY INCIDENCE IN MISSISSIPPI - A CAPTURE-RECAPTURE APPROACH, The journal of trauma, injury, infection, and critical care, 45(3), 1998, pp. 502-504
Background: Many studies have investigated spinal cord injury incidenc
e rates, Few, however, have adjusted for the underascertainment, The c
urrent study used the capture-recapture method to estimate the ascerta
inment-corrected spinal cord injury incidence rate in Mississippi. Met
hods: Two sources were used for case ascertainment: Mississippi's spin
al cord injury registry and hospital reports. The two-sample capture-r
ecapture method was used to adjust for undercount, Results: Two hundre
d one spinal cord injuries were reported to or found by the Mississipp
i State Department of Health in 1993, with a crude incidence rate of 7
.8 per 100,000 population per gear among hospital admissions and preho
spital fatalities, Using the two-sample capture-recapture method, it i
s estimated that the incidence rate would be 9.3 per 100,000 populatio
n per year. Conclusion: Capture-recapture estimates suggest that Missi
ssippi's spinal cord injury incidence rate is more than twice the nati
onal average.