Traumatic spinal cord injury among children and adolescents; a cohort study in western Norway

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the temporal trends in the incidence and demographic characteristics of traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) among children and adolescents in a geographically defined cohort in western Norway during 1952-2001. Methods: The patients included in this study were identified from the hospital records. Results: Of 336 patients, 13 (3.9%) patients were 0-14 years at time of injury, and 44 (13.1%) patients were 15-19 years at time of injury. The average age-adjusted incidence was 2.4 per million children and 25.1 per million adolescences. Children were injured in car and pedestrian accidents, whereas adolescences were injured in car and motorcycle accidents. Conclusions: The age-adjusted incidence of TSCI among the adolescents increased, whereas the age-adjusted incidence among children remained low during the 50 years. TSCI was highly associated with car and pedestrian accidents among children. Among adolescence, TSCI was associated with car and motorcycle accidents. Awareness of these factors is important in prevention planning strategies. Spinal Cord (2011) 49, 981-985; doi:10.1038/sc.2011.42; published online 10 May 2011