456Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) can result in motor, sensory and autonomic dysfunction, all of which can be devastating for the individual, both socially and economically. Further, many individuals with SCI require extensive medical attention due to the complexities and secondary conditions associated with this injury. Therefore, effective healthcare policies to promote efficient practices are of upmost importance to ease the burden on the healthcare system, while at the same time maintaining high standards of care.A deeper understanding of the epidemiology of SCI is required in order to gain a better appreciation of the potential impact of healthcare management strategies and health policies to prevent and minimize the consequences of SCI. In the past decade, at least five studies have reviewed the incidence and prevalence of SCI across the world [1][2][3][4][5] . In 2004, Ackery et al. reviewed the SCI literature in PubMed from 1992 to 2003, and reported an incidence of SCI between 11.5 and 57.8 cases per million people yearly based on six papers 2 . Their results suggested that countries with similar economic profile had alike incidence rates 2 . In 2006, Wyndaele and Wyndaele published a review on the incidence and prevalence of SCI based on two papers with prevalence data and 17 papers with incidence data that were captured in their search of the PubMed database. The authors reported that the incidence of SCI varied from 10.4 to 83 cases per million people, but there was an insufficient amount of data to provide accurate estimates of its prevalence 1 . In 2010,ABSTRACT: This systematic review examines the incidence and prevalence of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) in different countries worldwide and their trends over time. The literature search of the studies published between 1950 and 2012 captured 1,871 articles of which 64 articles on incidence and 13 articles on prevalence fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The global incidence of SCI varied from 8.0 to 246.0 cases per million inhabitants per year. The global prevalence varied from 236.0 to 1,298.0 per million inhabitants. In addition to regional differences regarding the prevalence rates of SCI across the globe, there has been a trend towards increasing prevalence rates over the last decades. Our results suggest a relatively broad variation of incidence and prevalence rates of SCI among distinctive geographic regions. These results emphasize the need for further studies on incidence and prevalence of SCI, and for international standards and guidelines for reporting on SCI.RÉSUMÉ: Incidence et prévalence mondiales de lésions traumatiques à la moelle épinière. Cette revue systématique examine l'incidence et la prévalence des lésions traumatiques à la moelle épinière (LTMÉ) dans différents pays à travers le monde et leur évolution à travers le temps. Une recherche documentaire a identifié 1 871 articles publiés entre 1950 et 2012, dont 64 articles portant sur l'incidence et 13 articles sur la prévalence qui remplissaient les critère...