Epidemiological profile of spinal cord injury in Brazil

Surveying people with spinal cord injuries in Brazil to ascertain research priorities

“…A large proportion of the sample (49.5%) had a high level of education, which contradicts national data on the educational level of people with a physical disability in Brazil 15 . However, as participation and data collection in this study relied on the internet, these results corroborate other studies in which the number of people that use new information and communication technologies, such as the internet, tends to increase with a higher level of education 14,16 .…”

“…The mean time since injury observed in this study was around 9 years, which confirms that advances in the area of rehabilitation, treatment, and care have increased the survival and longevity of individuals with SCI 14,17 . When this data is cross-referenced with emotional factors, it can be observed that the participants who reported emotional problems/difficulties were those who had lived with an injury for a shorter period.…”

“…The greater prevalence of males, with a mean age of 38 years, corroborates previous findings in national and international studies. This is attributable the greater involvement of young men in high-risk situations including physical violence, road traffic accidents, or accidents at work [12][13][14] .…”

“…The largest number of spinal cord injuries were at thoracic level, followed by the cervical, lumbar, and sacral levels, indicating a sample composed mostly of individuals with paraplegia, according to the ASIA criteria [11][12][13][14] . Injuries that are comparable in level and extent can produce different magnitudes of functional compromise and subsequent recuperation; however, when the injury is higher up, the level of the injury may influence the level of physical dependence 2 .…”

“…This increases the burden on the welfare system and results in little economic contribution to the country, given that most people with SCI are young and at an economically active age. In addition, the main rehabilitation centers for people with SCI in Brazil target capacity-building for selfcare and daily living activities; interventions that prepare the person with SCI to return to the labor market are scarce, including, for example, the adaptations needed to conduct work activities in a wheelchair, for example 5,14 .…”