Incidence rates and populations at risk for spinal cord injury: A regionalstudy

Study Design: A 6 year retrospective study was conducted. Objectives: The populations at risk for spinal cord injury (SCI) in the nor thwestern Kentucky (KY) and southern Indiana (IN) regions were identified f ollowing examination of the causes and factors associated with SCI. Setting: The database included patients primarily from the surrounding KY a nd IN counties admitted to the University of Louisville (U of L) Hospital. Method: Specification of SCI patient demographics, injury causes and relate d factors was achieved utilizing the hospital's trauma institute database a nd an extensive review of patient medical records. Results: An adjusted average incidence rate of 27.1 cases per million per y ear was obtained for this region. A high rate of SCI was found for the youn gest age group, 14-24 year olds, and for African Americans. A high frequenc y of injuries was also observed for adults between the ages of 25-39 years. Motor vehicle accidents (MVA) were the leading cause of SCI. Contributing factors included alcohol and widespread non-use of vehicle safety precautio ns. Conclusions: In addition to the high proportion of youth at risk for SCI, a higher proportion of older adults with SCI was observed for this region co mpared to other studies. Because the primary source of transportation in th is area is the use of private vehicles, rather than public transportation, greater effort is warranted in emphasizing the potential risks of combining driving with alcohol consumption and non-use of seatbelts.