Table 1.
Background characteristics for total spinal cord injury (SCI), tetraplegia and traumatic tetraplegia cases in Taiwan, 2002–2015
| Characteristic | SCI, N (%) | Tetraplegia, N (%) | Traumatic tetraplegia, N (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of subjects | 5048 (100%) | 3351 (100%) | 2182 (100%) |
| Age, mean (range), yearsa | 50.3 (range 16–96) | 52.4 (range 16–96) | 52.2 (range 16–94) |
| Age groupb | |||
| 16–39 | 1328 (26.3%) | 704 (21.0%) | 457 (20.9%) |
| 40–59 | 2198 (43.5%) | 1501 (44.8%) | 995 (45.6%) |
| 60–99 | 1522 (30.2%) | 1146 (34.2%) | 730 (33.5%) |
| Sexb | |||
| Male | 3927 (77.8%) | 2738 (81.7%) | 1786 (81.9%) |
| Female | 1121 (22.2%) | 613 (18.3%) | 396 (18.1%) |
| Degree of urbanizationb | |||
| Metropolitan areas including satellite cities | 2556 (50.6%) | 1629 (48.6%) | 1017 (46.6%) |
| Rural areas | 2492 (49.4%) | 1722 (51.4%) | 1165 (53.4%) |
| Monthly insured salary (US dollar)b | |||
| Dependent | 961 (19.0%) | 840 (25.1%) | 380 (17.4%) |
| < 640 US dollars | 1517 (30.1%) | 824 (24.6%) | 627 (28.7%) |
| ≥ 640 US dollars | 2570 (50.9%) | 1687 (50.3%) | 1175 (53.9%) |
| Major comorbidities | |||
| Stroke (ICD-9-CM: 430–437)b | 315 (6.2%) | 218 (6.5%) | 115 (5.3%) |
| Acute myocardial infarction (ICD-9-CM: 410)b | 25 (0.5%) | 17 (0.5%) | 6 (0.3%) |
| COPD (ICD-9-CM: 491–492)*b | 179 (3.6%) | 119 (3.6%) | 55 (2.5%) |
| Liver cirrhosis (ICD-9-CM: 571.2, 571.5, 571.6)b | 80 (1.6%) | 58 (1.7%) | 39 (1.8%) |
| ESRD (ICD-9-CM: 585)b | 86 (1.7%) | 49 (1.5%) | 25 (1.2%) |
| Cancer (ICD-9-CM: 140–208)b | 116 (2.3%) | 80 (2.4%) | 47 (2.2%) |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index*b | |||
| 0 | 2863 (56.7%) | 1989 (59.4%) | 1355 (62.1%) |
| 1 | 905 (17.9%) | 655 (19.6%) | 429 (19.7%) |
| > 1 | 1280 (25.4%) | 707 (21.1%) | 398 (18.2%) |
CI confidence interval, ICD-9-CM International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification, COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ESRD end-stage renal disease
*p < 0.05, comparison between tetraplegia and traumatic tetraplegia
aThe independent t test
bThe χ2 test