Traumatic spinal cord injury in Jinan, China: A 10-year hospital-based retrospective observational study of 1134 cases

Traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) imposes a substantial clinical and public health burden, yet contemporary epidemiological data from northern China are limited. This study aimed to describe the epidemiological characteristics of TSCI in Jinan, an urban-rural integrated city in northern China. We conducted a hospital-based retrospective observational study of patients with TSCI admitted to the 960th Hospital of the PLA and Qilu Hospital of Shandong University between 2015 and 2024. Medical records of 1134 patients were reviewed. Collected variables included sex, age, marital status, occupation, time of injury, etiology, neurological level of injury, American Spinal Injury Association grade, complications, concomitant injuries, treatments received, and length of hospital stay. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. The mean (standard deviation) age was 62.0 (18.6) years (95% confidence interval, 60.9-63.1), and the male-to-female ratio was 3.69:1. Falls were the leading cause of injury (46.0%), including low-level falls (25.8%) and high-level falls (20.2%), followed by traffic accidents (40.7%). The cervical spine was the most frequently injured region. During hospitalization, 500 of 1134 patients (44.1%) developed complications, most commonly pulmonary infections (16.5%) and urinary tract infections (13.6%). Surgical intervention was performed in 88.9% (1009/1134) of patients. In this 10-year hospital-based series from Jinan, most patients with TSCI were older men, with 61 to 75 years being the most common age group. Falls and traffic accidents were the predominant etiologies. Farmers represented the highest-risk occupational group. Prevention strategies should particularly target fall risk among older adults and electric bicycle-related injuries among young men. These findings highlight the need for tailored injury-prevention measures and underscore the crucial role of rehabilitation in the long-term management of TSCI.