The Tetrafigap Survey on the long-term outcome of tetraplegic spinal cord injured persons, part II: Demographic characteristics and initial cause of injury.

Abstract

After presenting in part I the protocol and the methodology of the Tetrafigap Survey, this article is aimed at investigating demographic characteristics, initial cause of trauma and spinal injury in the French tetraplegic spinal cord injured (TSCI) population. The Tetrafigap Survey is a multicentre epidemiological survey on the outcome of TSCI people following their first admission to a rehabilitation department or centre. The survey was conducted with the participation of 35 French-speaking collaborating centres. A self-administered questionnaire was carried out among consenting TSCI patients followed by the centres. 1,668 questionnaires fulfilled all the required criteria for data analysis. The socio-demographic variables (gender, current age and age at the time of accident, duration of disability), circumstances of accident as well as initial spinal cord lesions are reviewed in the body of the text. The results from this survey form the first detailed description of the French TSCI population. Whereas demographic data show many similarities with those of previous studies in other countries, some specific differences are highlighted, in particular relating to the type of accident.