A nationwide epidemiological survey of spinal cord injuries in Japan from January 1990 to December 1992.

This survey of traumatic spinal cord injuries in Japan from January 1990 to December 1992 was carried out by a statistical method of the nationwide epidemiological study. The number of the registered patients during these 3 years was 9752 and the mean response rate of every of the 47 prefectures was 51.4%. The registered patients with neurological deficits (Frankel A-D) were 7471 and the annual spinal cord injury incidence was 40.2 per million. The ratio of cervical cord injuries to more caudal SCI was 3:1. The age distribution and the causes of spinal cord injuries are presented in detail. From the results of this study, the prevention campaign should be focused mainly on the following topics: sports and motorcycle accidents involving young people; traffic accidents involving adults; falling accidents involving aged people.