An Epidemiological Study of Traumatic Spinal Injuries in Iranian Patients from 2007 to 2017

Background: Traumatic spinal cord injuries (TSCIs) cause numerous adverse effects on spinal cord and neural tissues. These injuries may have negative effects on physical and psychological health during lifetime. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of TSCI in patients with trauma admitted to Beasat hospital of Hamadan between 2007 and 2017. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 3219 patients with traumatic spinal injuries admitted to Beasat Hospital of Hamadan between 2007 and 2017. Data were collected from hospital information system. Data analysis was performed using SPSS. Quantitative data were expressed as mean, standard deviation, and frequency; and qualitative data were analyzed using chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests. The significance level was considered to be less than 0.05. Results: Mortality was significantly associated with gender (P = 0.001), age (P = 0.051), external causes (P = 0.001), and type of injury (P = 0.001). Length of hospital stay was significantly associated with type of injury (P = 0.001) and external causes (P = 0.001), whereas there was no significant relationship between length of hospital stay and gender, age, and surgery (P > 0.0.05). Conclusion: Mortality rates were highest at the age of 55 years and over compared with other age groups. Thus, effective intervention and programs should be implemented for this age group.