Journal of neurotrauma
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Journal of neurotrauma · Sep 2024
Shifting trends in the epidemiology of Cervical Spine Injuries: An Analysis of 11,822 patients from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) over two decades.
Cervical spine injuries (CSIs) are heterogeneous in nature and often lead to long-term disability and morbidity. However, there are few recent and comprehensive epidemiological studies on CSI. The objective of this study was to characterize recent trends in CSI patient demographics, incidence, etiology, and injury level. ⋯ Our study identified a significant increase in the incidence of CSIs over time, which was associated with increasing patient age. Our study detected a pragmatic demarcation of classifying upper injuries as C1-C3 and lower cervical injuries as C4-C7. Upper injuries were seen more often in older, White females who were treated and admitted, and lower injuries were seen more often in young, Black male patients who were released without admission.