[Trends of disease burden on spinal cord injury in China from 1990 to 2023].

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the epidemiological features and changing trends of disease burden of spinal cord injury (SCI) in China from 1990 to 2023, conduct decomposition analysis of disease burden changes, and provide evidence for SCI prevention and control.

METHODS

Based on the 2023 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study data, indicators including incidence and years lived with disability (YLDs) were used to analyze the status and changing trends of SCI disease burden in China from 1990 to 2023. The Gupta decomposition framework was applied to quantify the contributions of population growth, population aging, age-specific incidence rate changes, and disease severity changes to YLDs growth.

RESULTS

In 2023, the number of SCI incidence cases in China was 232 700 cases, representing a 43.6% increase compared to 1990. From 1990 to 2023, the age-standardized YLDs rate of SCI decreased, while the age-standardized incidence rate showed an overall upward trend: it increased year by year from 1990 to 2015, declined briefly after 2015, and rose again from 2020. The disease burden of SCI in males was higher than in females. The age distribution of disease burden showed a shift toward older age groups, with incidence rates increasing with age among middle-aged and elderly populations. Falls were the main cause of SCI in China. Compared with 1990, YLDs in males and females increased by 48.58% and 41.72% respectively in 2023. The proportions of male growth attributed to population growth, population aging, age-specific incidence rate changes, and disease severity changes were 22.79%, 22.69%, 34.99%, and -31.88%, while those for females were 23.82%, 26.30%, 21.99%, and -30.40%.

CONCLUSION

From 1990 to 2023, population aging made a substantial contribution to the growth of SCI disease burden in China. The primary factor driving the growth of SCI disease burden differed by gender. Clinical interventions that mitigate disease severity represent a key strategy for addressing the rapid growth of SCI disease burden.