Abstract
Objective
To estimate the population profile of people living with traumatic spinal cord injury
(TSCI) to help evaluate health care needs of this aging population.
Design
Cross-sectional study.
Setting
SCI Model Systems (SCIMS) centers in the United States.
Participants
Individuals (N=20,437) who: (1) incurred a TSCI between 1972 and 2019, (2) were initially
treated at one of the SCIMS centers, and (3) were alive during the period from 2015
to 2019.
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures
Demographics, injury characteristics, health conditions, and social participation,
as compared with previous estimates in 2008 and general population statistics in 2017.
Results
People living with TSCI during the period from 2015-2019 (mean years since injury,
18y; 79.4% male, and 62.5% White) were older (51.6 vs 45.0y) and had a higher percentage
of C1-C4 (21.9% vs 17.0%) and American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale
D injuries (31.5% vs 26.0%) compared with the 2008 TSCI population profile. Although
the proportion of people with a bachelor's degree or higher was similar between the
TSCI and general US populations (30.7% vs 32.0%), the employment rate was lower in
the TSCI population (24.0% vs 59.5%). People are affected by various medical problems
over time post TSCI. The prevalence of pain and urinary tract infection remained high
over postinjury years, at 86.1% and 52.6%, respectively. Rehospitalization and depression
were most common during the first year (34.9% and 22.3%, respectively), and pressure
injury was more common among those 20 years or more postinjury (>30.0%). Health conditions
declined with advanced age, including self-perceived health, diabetes, and institutional
residence. People who survived TSCI for years, however, had relatively good degrees
of independence and social participation.
Conclusion
Study findings highlight the need for greater involvement of primary care providers
and geriatricians in the continuity of care for SCI to promote healthy aging. Improvement
in employment should also be the target in promoting social participation and quality
of life.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
AIS (American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale), AUD (alcohol use disorder), NSCID (National Spinal Cord Injury Database), SCI (spinal cord injury), SCIMS (Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems), TSCI (traumatic spinal cord injury), UTI (urinary tract infection)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 19, 2021
Accepted:
November 2,
2021
Received in revised form:
October 21,
2021
Received:
September 7,
2021
Footnotes
Supported by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) (grant no. 90DP0083). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this manuscript do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and endorsement by the federal government should not be assumed.
Disclosure: none.
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 The American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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- ErratumArchives of Physical Medicine and RehabilitationVol. 104Issue 4
- PreviewIn the article “Demographic and health profile of people living with traumatic spinal cord injury in the United States during 2015-2019: Findings from the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems Database” by Chen Y, Wen H, Baidwan N, and DeVivo MJ, published in Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2022;103(4):622-633. PMID: 34808122 , https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34808122/ , Figures 3C and 3D were accidentally duplicates of Figures 4C and 4D. The correct versions of Figures 3C and 3D appear below.
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