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released: 14 Nov 2007 author: Cripps R media release

Severe spinal cord injury (SCI) is a very debilitating injury. This report presents information from the Australian Spinal Cord Injury Register (ASCIR) on 374 newly incident cases from trauma and disease in the year 2005-06. During the year, 284 new cases of SCI from traumatic causes were registered in Australia, an age-adjusted incidence rate of 15.7 cases per million population. The most common clinical outcome of SCI was incomplete tetraplegia (93 cases). Transport related injuries (46%) and falls (33%) accounted for over three-quarters of the 284 cases of traumatic SCI. Cases also occurred during sport (n=35) and working for income, including travel to and from work (n=43). Falling was the most common type of event leading to traumatic SCI at older ages. The ASCIR is a collaborative activity of the AIHW National Injury Surveillance Unit and all of the specialist spinal units in Australia.

ISSN 1444-3791; ISBN 978 1 74024 733 7; Cat. no. INJCAT 102; 50pp.; Out of print

Publication

Publication table of contents

  • Contents
  • Acknowledgments
  • Executive summary
  • 1 Introduction
  • 2 Overview of SCI case registrations in 2005–06
  • 3 Incidence of persisting SCI in 2005–06
    • 3.1 Persisting SCI in 2005–06 and earlier years
    • 3.2 State or territory of usual residence
    • 3.3 Age and sex distribution
    • 3.4 Socioeconomic characteristics
  • 4 Clinical characteristics of persisting SCI cases
    • 4.1 Neurological level of injury
    • 4.2 Neurological category
    • 4.3 Duration of initial care
  • 5 Factors associated with the SCI event
    • 5.1 Mechanism of injury
      • 5.1.1 Traffic–Land transport: Motor vehicle occupants
      • 5.1.2 Traffic–Land transport: Unprotected road users
      • 5.1.3 Non-traffic–Land transport
      • 5.1.4 Falls
      • 5.1.5 Struck by or collision with a person or object
      • 5.1.6 Water-related
      • 5.1.7 Other causes
    • 5.2 Type of activity at time of injury
  • 6 Trends in external causes of SCI
    • 6.1 Trends in all traumatic SCI at selected ages
    • 6.2 Trends in work-related traumatic SCI at selected ages
      • 6.2.1 Work-related traumatic SCI for age group 15–64 years
      • 6.2.2 Work-related traumatic SCI for age group 45 years and above
      • 6.2.3 Discussion
  • 7 Glossary
  • Appendix 1
    • Structure and operation of ASCIR
    • Data issues
      • Scope and ascertainment of SCI case registration data
      • Rates
      • Tabulations and data reported
      • Confidence intervals
      • Assignment and aggregation of NDS-IS codes
      • Trend analysis
  • List of Tables
  • List of Figures

Recommended citation

Cripps R 2007. Spinal cord injury, Australia, 2005-06. Injury research and statistics series no. 36. Cat. no. INJCAT 102. Canberra: AIHW.