title: Analysis of the causes and types of traumatic spinal cord injury based on 561 cases in China from 2001 to 2010.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A remarkable increase in traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) morbidity has occurred in China from 2001 to 2010 due to rapid industrial and economic development; this increase seriously threatens public health. The current study investigated the major causes and severity of TSCI in 561 hospitalized TSCI patients who came from all over China to the General Hospital of Chinese People's Armed Police Forces.
  
  
  METHODS
  Information (including each patient's age, gender, time and cause of injury and severity of spinal cord injury (SCI, complete or incomplete)) regarding 561 hospitalized TSCI patients whose injuries occurred between 2001 and 2010 was retrospectively analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 561 patients, the youngest was 9 months old and the oldest was 67 years old; the average patient age was 34.74 ± 12.24 years. The sex ratio was 4.1:1 (male:female). The injuries were primarily caused by transportation accidents (51.2%), falling from a height (23.9%), tamping (8.6%), stumbling (8.0%), stabbing (3.0%) and crushing (1.8%). Although no statistically significant associations were observed between the different injury causes and severity of the injury, a statistically significant association was observed between the different injury causes and levels of the lesion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Transportation accidents, falling from a height, tamping, stumbling, stabbing and crushing are the most common causes of TSCI. No statistically significant relationships were observed between certain injury causes and either complete or incomplete injury. However, different injury causes usually led to different levels of the lesion. No statistical differences were observed between the levels of the lesion and either complete or incomplete injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Stem Cell Transplantation, The General Hospital of Chinese People's Armed Police Forces, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: An
mesh_terms: D000059:Accidents / Q000639:trends*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult