Sex-related Differences in Epidemiology, Treatment, and Economic Burden of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury in China (2013–2018)

Retrospective epidemiological study. OBJECTIVE. To describe differences based on biological sex in the epidemiology and treatment of the economic burden of traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) in China (2013–2018). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA. Although there have been many regional single-center studies on TSCI in China, there are few reports involving multicenter data, especially those that report on discrepancies related to biological sex. MATERIALS AND METHODS. This study is a nationally representative hospital-based retrospective study. The treatment data of TSCI patients in 30 hospitals in 11 provinces/cities from January 2013 to December 2018 were analyzed. Sociodemographic characteristics, accident and related injury characteristics, treatment methods, and hospital costs were obtained. Regression models were used to evaluate differences in the outcomes of interest based on biological sex and other factors. RESULTS. There were 13,465 individuals with TSCI, with a mean age of 50.0 years, and females (52.2) older than males (49.3). Overall, the average ratio of males to females was 3.1:1, ranging from 3.0:1 in 2013 to 2.8:1 in 2018. The overall proportion of patients with TSCI increased from 2013 to 2018 [annual percentage change (APC)=6.8%, 95% CI, 3.3–10.4] (P < 0.05). The percent increase in females (APC=8.2%, 95% CI, 5.6–10.8) was greater than that of males (APC=6.3%, 95% CI, 2.1–10.6). Overall, high-level falls mainly affected males (30.8%), and low-level falls mainly occurred in females (36.6%). Females demonstrated a higher frequency of thoracolumbar trauma and less severe neurological impairment. CONCLUSIONS. This study suggests that although the main population of TSCI is male, the average ratio of males to females is decreasing. The frequency of TSCI may be increasing faster in females than in males. Therefore, it is necessary to develop sex-specific public prevention measures. In addition, more medical resources should be devoted to improving the ability of hospitals to perform early surgery.