When walking is bad for your back: a cohort study of risk factors for traumatic spinal injury in Abuja. Pan Afr Med J 2019;33:60
Date
08/27/2019Pubmed ID
31448022Pubmed Central ID
PMC6689843DOI
10.11604/pamj.2019.33.60.17565Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85071240687 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)Abstract
INTRODUCTION: This study evaluates characteristics and risk factors of traumatic spinal injuries (TSIs) treated at a trauma center in Abuja, Nigeria. TSIs are a global concern. They are frequently disabling, leading to economic, workforce, and quality of life strain. Little is known of the epidemiology of TSIs in Nigeria.
METHODS: Data were collected from National Hospital Abuja's trauma registry on 3025 patients treated at the hospital between 2014 and 2017. Patient characteristics were compared between spinal and nonspinal injury groups. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify risk factors of TSIs.
RESULTS: 15% (452) of all injuries were spinal. Road traffic crashes were a significantly greater cause of spinal (77.4%) than nonspinal (59.4%) injuries (p<0.0001). Pedestrians were involved in 19% (356) of total crashes, occupying a significantly larger proportion of spinal (18.6%) than nonspinal (10.6%) injuries (p<0.0001). Three variables were modeled as risk factors of crash-related TSIs: mode of transportation, age, and gender. Only mode of transportation demonstrated statistical significance, with involvement as a pedestrian showing an adjusted odds ratio of 1.38 (95% confidence interval: 1.03-1.85, p=0.0329).
CONCLUSION: Determining characteristics and risk factors of TSIs is an essential step in addressing this health concern in Nigeria. Crashes are a significant cause of TSIs, and a quarter of TSI patients involved in a crash are pedestrians. Involvement in a crash as a pedestrian is associated with high risk of TSI. These results can help guide both the development of spinal injury prevention policies and the allocation of resources.
Author List
Holmes BD, Brazauskas R, Ameh EA, Olaomi OO, Cassidy LDAuthors
Ruta Brazauskas PhD Associate Professor in the Institute for Health and Equity department at Medical College of WisconsinLaura Cassidy PhD Associate Dean, Professor in the Institute for Health and Equity department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Accidents, TrafficAdolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Child
Child, Preschool
Cohort Studies
Female
Humans
Infant
Logistic Models
Male
Middle Aged
Nigeria
Pedestrians
Quality of Life
Retrospective Studies
Risk Factors
Spinal Injuries
Walking
Young Adult
