Articles: trauma.
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Journal of neurotrauma · Sep 2024
Shifting trends in the epidemiology of Cervical Spine Injuries: An Analysis of 11,822 patients from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) over two decades.
Cervical spine injuries (CSIs) are heterogeneous in nature and often lead to long-term disability and morbidity. However, there are few recent and comprehensive epidemiological studies on CSI. The objective of this study was to characterize recent trends in CSI patient demographics, incidence, etiology, and injury level. ⋯ Our study identified a significant increase in the incidence of CSIs over time, which was associated with increasing patient age. Our study detected a pragmatic demarcation of classifying upper injuries as C1-C3 and lower cervical injuries as C4-C7. Upper injuries were seen more often in older, White females who were treated and admitted, and lower injuries were seen more often in young, Black male patients who were released without admission.
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Stemming from poverty and systemic racism, Black youth are disproportionately represented in hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs) due to greater violence exposure. HVIPs are a critical intervention that have been shown to reduce rates of reinjury in urban hospitals and trauma centers across the United States; however, they are plagued by low enrollment and engagement rates. Few studies have examined factors related to engagement, particularly among Black youth. ⋯ This study highlights a novel approach to understanding ACEs among a hard-to-reach population and illuminates the significant level of ACEs faced by violence-exposed Black youth at young ages. Considering theory, Black families may be more reluctant to engage due to fear and past harms in social service systems stemming from systemic racism. Though ACEs did not predict engagement in this study, considering the high rates of ACEs experienced by Black youth and their families in the context of systemic racism suggests that HVIPs should acknowledge historical harms and foster trauma-informed and healing-centered interactions during recruitment and later stages of engagement.
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Vulnerability to chronic pain is found to depend on age and sex. Most patients with chronic pain are elderly women, especially with posttraumatic pain after bone fracture that prevails beyond the usual recovery period and develops into a complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). There, a distal bone fracture seems to initiate a pathophysiological process with unknown mechanism. ⋯ Together, changes in the noradrenergic, hence, glycinergic system towards excitation in the pain pathway-ascending and descending-might contribute to the development or maintenance of long-lasting pain. Conclusively, changes in the noradrenergic system particularly occur in aged female mice after trauma and might contribute to the development of long-lasting pain. Our data support the hypothesis that some patients with chronic pain would benefit from lowering the adrenergic/sympathetic tone or antagonizing α1(D).
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Thoracic vertebral fractures within homes are pivotal public health concerns due to their associated morbidity and significant healthcare expenditures. This study aims to dissect the intricate epidemiology of these injuries, integrating comprehensive risk factors beyond conventional demographics and location analyses. ⋯ By offering a comprehensive analysis that incorporates a wide array of risk factors, this study advances the understanding of thoracic vertebral fractures in residential environments. It underscores the necessity for targeted preventive measures that are cognizant of the multifactorial nature of these injuries, paving the way for improved safety interventions and public health policies.