2005-6 Spinal Cord Injury Statistics
It is estimated that there are 9,000 people living with SCI in Australia.
During 2005–6 374 cases of SCI were registered with 90 of these resulting from non-traumatic causes where SCI was secondary to medical conditions such as ischaemia (10%), cancer (16%), spinal abscesses (6%) and spinal canal stenosis (6%). Other causes of SCI were related to disc disease, myelopathy, pain, and medical interventions.
Two hundred and fifty-seven (257) of the total registered cases were persisting (surviving longer than 90 days) SCI cases resulting from traumatic causes, with 82% involving males and 18% females.
Based on these 257 cases, the most common neurological category was incomplete tetraplegia (93 cases, 36%), followed by incomplete paraplegia (73 cases, 28%), complete paraplegia (49 cases, 19%) and complete tetraplegia (42 cases, 16%).
The total number of registered cases incurring SCI from traumatic causes was 284 of which 27 either did not survive (6 cases), were non-Australian residents (10 cases) or survived with no neurological deficit (11 cases). For those the following causes were:
- 69 (24%) motor vehicle occupants involved in traffic and non-traffic land transport related incidents;
- 63 (22%) unprotected road users (motor cyclists, pedal cyclists or pedestrians) involved in traffic and non-traffic land transport related incidents;
- 35 (12%) low falls;
- 60 (21%) high falls (from a height of one metre or more);
- 22 (8%) being hit or struck by an object;
- 25 (9%) water-related; and
- 10 (4%) from other causes.
The type of activity being undertaken at the time of injury included working for income (43 cases), other types of work (19), sports (35), leisure (26), personal activity (36) and other or unspecified activity (125).
Citation: Cripps RA 2007. Spinal cord injury, Australia, 2005–06. Injury Research and Statistics Series Number 36. Adelaide: AIHW (AIHW cat. no. INJCAT 102)
Click here for a full copy of the document, which focuses on the incidence of SCI from traumatic causes.
In New South Wales
The NSW State Spinal Cord Injury Service website has been updated with SCI statistics for 2006.
Of 105 registered SCI cases in 2006 (10 fewer than in 2005), 85 (81%) were from traumatic causes and 20 (19%) from non-traumatic causes with 87 (83%) being males and 18 (17%) females.
Fifty-eight cases (55%) resulted in tetraplegia and 47 (45%) paraplegia. Thirty-seven cases (35%) were complete injuries and 68 (65%) incomplete. The causes of traumatic injury are listed as falls (25 cases, 24%), sport (20 cases, 19%), transport (28 cases, 27%) and other (12 cases, 11%).
Data is also included for 204 readmissions with the four most common principal diagnoses listed as genitourinary (63 cases, 28%), integumentary/skin related (41 cases, 18%), gastrointestinal (24 cases, 11%) and pulmonary (20 cases, 9%).
Click here for the full report.
