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Incidence, prevalence and disability of spinal cord injury in China from 1990 to 2019: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

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Abstract

Purpose

We aimed to estimate the incidence, prevalence and years lived with disability (YLDs) of spinal cord injury (SCI) in China in 2019 and temporal trends from 1990 to 2019.

Methods

The Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 was used to obtain data. Outcome measures included age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR), prevalence rate (ASPR) and YLDs rate (ASYR). A Bayesian meta-regression tool, DisMod-MR 2.1, was used to produce the estimates of each value after adjustments.

Results

In 2019, there were 234.19 [95% uncertainty interval (UI) 171.84–312.87] thousand incident cases of SCI in China, with an ASIR of 13.87 (95% UI 10.15–18.66) per 100,000. ASIR and ASYR increased by 40.81% (95% UI 32.92–49.14%) and 11.44% (95% UI 5.16–17.29%) compared with 1990, individually. Males had higher ASIR and ASYR in each year from 1990 to 2019, but the incidence and YLDs rates of females exceeded males after 70 years old. Incidence and YLDs rates both ascended with age. SCI at neck level had slightly higher incidence rate but much higher YLDs rate than that below neck level. The average incidence age increased from 38.97 in 1990 to 54.59 in 2019. Falls were the leading cause of SCI.

Conclusion

The incidence and burden of SCI in China increased significantly during the past three decades. The age structure of SCI patients showed a shift from the young to the elderly as population aging. Urgent efforts are needed to relieve the health pressure from SCI.

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Acknowledgments

We thank all epidemiologists, statisticians or other scientists who contributed their time and work to the management of the GBD study rounds.

Funding

No funding was received for conducting this study.

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Author notes

  1. Yimin Dong and Feng Li have contributed equally to this manuscript as co-corresponding authors. Shian Hu and Pengju Wang contributed equally.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China

    Shian Hu, Pengju Wang, Yimin Dong & Feng Li

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Hu, S., Wang, P., Dong, Y. et al. Incidence, prevalence and disability of spinal cord injury in China from 1990 to 2019: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Eur Spine J 32, 590–600 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-022-07441-2

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