title: Epidemiology of traumatic spinal cord injury in Asia: a systematic review.
abstract: METHODS
  A systematic review.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The number of traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) reports grows annually, especially in China and Korea. The epidemiological characteristics of TSCI in Asia differ from those in other countries. Thus, we compiled  epidemiological factors from Asia to compare with those from other countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  We searched articles published in any language between January 1980 to December 2011 using the terms "spinal cord injury", "traumatic spinal cord injury", "epidemiology",  and "Asia". The articles were reviewed for information regarding TSCI incidence, total cases, case criteria, case source, causes of injury, male/female ratio, mean age, prospective or retrospective, neurological level of injury, extent of injury, and America Spinal Injury Association  Impairment Scale (AIS)/grade.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Epidemiological data were extracted from 39 reports in the published literature that met the inclusion criteria. Only two studies reported prevalence rates. Incidence rates ranged from 12.06 to 61.6 per million. The average age ranged  from 26.8 to 56.6 years old. Men were at higher risk than women. Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) and falls were the main causes of TSCI. However, several countries reported war wounds as the major cause. The neurological level and extent of injury were mixed, and most patients were categorized  as AIS/Frankel grade A.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TSCI is an important public health problem and a major cause of paralysis. We must understand the epidemiology to implement appropriate preventative measures. Asian epidemiology is different from that in other regions, so intervention  measures must be established according to population-specific characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Guang-Zhi
authors.initials: GZ
authors.lastname: Ning
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yu-Lin
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shi-Qing
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Feng
mesh_terms: D001208:Asia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology