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

Background: Traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) can cause numerous adverse effects on the spinal cord and neural tissues. These injuries may have negative effects on physical and psychological health during the lifespan. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of TSCI in patients with trauma admitted to Bessat Hospital of Hamadan between 2007 and 2017. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 3,219 patients with traumatic spinal injuries admitted to Bessat Hospital of Hamadan between 2007 and 2017. Data were collected from the 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 the 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 of injury (P = 0.001), and type of injury (P = 0.001). The length of hospital stay was significantly associated with the type of injury (P = 0.001) and external causes of injury (P = 0.001), whereas there was no significant relationship between the length of hospital stay and gender, age, and surgery (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Mortality rates were highest at the age of 55 years or over among other age groups. Thus, effective interventions and programs should be implemented for this age group.