title: Epidemiologic change of patients with spinal cord injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the epidemiologic change of patients with spinal cord injury who were admitted to a Rehabilitation Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, during 1987-1996 and 2004-2008.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical records of 629 patients with spinal cord injury admitted to the Rehabilitation Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, from 2004 to 2008 were collected and reviewed retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The male-to-female ratio decreased to 2.86:1, the mean age at injury increased, nontraumatic etiology increased, traffic accident remained to be the most common in traumatic spinal cord injury, and falling increased significantly. Tumor was the most common etiology in nontraumatic spinal cord injury, tetraplegia and incomplete injuries occurred more than paraplegia and complete injuries, indwelling catheter was the most common voiding method, and the duration of hospitalization decreased.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Many trends changed in epidemiology of spinal cord injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation and Research Institute of Rehabilitation, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Cheol
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Dae Hyun
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Su Jin
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Hea Eun
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Seo Yeon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Yoon
keywords: Epidemiology; Spinal cord injuries