Incidence of non-traumatic spinal cord injury in Victoria, Australia: a population-based study and literature review

Study design: Data extraction from a state-wide, population-based, health-administration database of hospital admissions. Objective: To determine the incidence of non-traumatic spinal cord injury (NTSCI). Setting: Victoria, Australia. Methods: All patients admitted to hospital with a new onset of NTSCI, or who developed NTSCI after hospitalization, between 1 July 2000 and 30 June 2006, were identified using a population-based database. Age and gender of NTSCI patients were recorded. Results: The number of adults aged 15 years and older with NTSCI in each of the 12-month periods was 82, 111, 96, 108, 133 and 101. The average age-adjusted incidence rate of NTSCI in adults was 26.3 cases per million per year. There was no statistically significant increase in the age-adjusted incidence of NTSCI over the study period (Spearman's ρ =0.35, P =0.5). The incidence of NTSCI was significantly greater than the reported incidence for traumatic spinal cord injury ( χ 2 1 =19.5, P