Table 2.
Etiology of spinal cord injury over three cohorts (% of cohort totals)
| 1981–1985 (%) | 1998–2002 (%) | 2003–2007 (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traumatic | |||
| Airplane | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 |
| Car | 40.0 | 22.8 | 21.2 |
| Cycling | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 |
| Diving | 11.8 | 1.0 | 2.4 |
| Equestrian | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Falls | 14.5 | 16.1 | 16.4 |
| Farming accident | 0.0 | 3.1 | 1.2 |
| Motorcycle | 2.7 | 0.5 | 2.0 |
| Off-road vehicle | 1.8 | 7.8 | 5.6 |
| Other | 3.6 | 0.0 | 1.2 |
| Sports other | 0.9 | 1.0 | 2.4 |
| Suicide attempt | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Work related | 3.6 | 2.6 | 4.0 |
| Violence | 4.5 | 2.1 | 3.2 |
| Non-traumatic | |||
| Abscess | 0.0 | 2.6 | 2.4 |
| Aneurysm repair/arterial graft | 0.0 | 2.6 | 2.0 |
| Cancer/tumor | 2.7 | 11.4 | 8.4 |
| Disc herniation | 0.0 | 4.1 | 4.0 |
| Malformation (AVM, Chiari) | 0.0 | 1.6 | 0.0 |
| Osteomyelitis/discitis | 0.0 | 2.1 | 3.6 |
| Spinal cord infarct | 0.0 | 2.6 | 0.4 |
| Spondylomyelopathy | 0.0 | 8.8 | 9.6 |
| Transverse myelitis | 0.9 | 2.1 | 3.6 |
| Tuberculosis of spine | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
| Viral | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.2 |
| Other | 1.8 | 1.6 | 2.4 |
| Unknown | 10.0 | 2.6 | 0.8 |
| Total number | 110 | 193 | 250 |