title: Demographic and clinical characteristics of persons with spinal cord injury in Turkey: One-year experience of a primary referral rehabilitation center.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To define the demographic and clinical characteristics of persons with spinal cord injury, rehabilitated in a primary referral rehabilitation center in Turkey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ankara Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical records of all patients with spinal cord injury (acute-subacute-chronic) at a single academic referral center over the course of one year were reviewed. Variables of each patient were recorded, including: age, sex, etiology, length of rehabilitation stay, neurological level of injury, level of neurological impairment and severity of injury.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 262 persons with spinal cord injury, 69.8% were male (male:female ratio is 2.31 : 1). Mean age was 38.3 ± 17.6 years. Falls were the most common cause of injury. The majority of falls were falls from a height (93.3%). More than 20% of falls from a height were related to occupational injury. The most common neurological level of injury was L1. Of all persons 46.2% had thoracic, 27.5% had lumbar and 26.3% had cervical lesions. The mean length of rehabilitation stay was 52.1 ± 25.5 days. Persons with motor complete injury and with a shorter (<12 months) time since injury had longer length of rehabilitation stay.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The mean age of SCI population is increasing. Falls constitute the majority of etiologic factors and are more common in persons >60 years old. More than 20% of falls from a height are related to occupational injury. Male-female ratio is decreasing. Thoraco-lumbar injures are more common than cervical injuries.
authors.affiliation: a Ankara Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital , Ankara , Turkey.
authors.forename: Özlem
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Taşoğlu
authors.affiliation: a Ankara Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital , Ankara , Turkey.
authors.forename: Engin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Koyuncu
authors.affiliation: a Ankara Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital , Ankara , Turkey.
authors.forename: Rabia
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5504-9424
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Daylak
authors.affiliation: a Ankara Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital , Ankara , Turkey.
authors.forename: Derya Yumuşak
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Karacif
authors.affiliation: a Ankara Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital , Ankara , Turkey.
authors.forename: Zerrin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: İnce
authors.affiliation: a Ankara Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital , Ankara , Turkey.
authors.forename: Didem
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yenigün
authors.affiliation: a Ankara Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital , Ankara , Turkey.
authors.forename: Neşe
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Özgirgin
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010264:Paraplegia / Q000150:complications; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Demographics; Epidemiology; Etiology; Spinal cord injury; Turkey