Epidemiological analysis of hospitalizations for cervical spine fractures: Descriptive study of temporal trends 2021-2024
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52611/confluencia.2026.1736Keywords:
Fractures, Epidemiology, Hospitalization, Chile, Cervical vertebraeAbstract
Introduction: Cervical spine fractures represent a major traumatic injury due to their association with neurological damage, the need for hospitalization, and substantial healthcare resource utilization. Objective: To describe the hospital burden of cervical spine fractures in Chile from 2021 to 2024 according to sex, age group, diagnosis, and length of hospital stay. Methodology: An observational, descriptive, and retrospective study was conducted using aggregated secondary hospital discharge records from Department of Health Statistics and Information. Frequencies, mean length of hospital stay, and temporal trends were analyzed using a Poisson regression model. Result: A total of 2.018 hospitalizations were recorded. Males accounted for 70,7% of cases (male-to-female ratio: 2,41:1). Annual hospitalizations increased from 454 in 2021 to 560 in 2024, with an incidence rate ratio of 1,064 (p=0,0019). The most affected age group was 20-44 years (39,3%). The most frequent diagnosis was "Fracture of other specified cervical vertebrae" (29,2%). The mean length of hospital stay was 14,1 days. Discussion: The predominance of male patients, the concentration of hospitalizations among working-age adults, and the increasing trend observed during the study period indicate a substantial burden on the healthcare system, highlighting the need to strengthen prevention strategies and epidemiological surveillance. Conclusion: Hospitalizations due to cervical spine fractures in Chile showed an increasing trend between 2021 and 2024, with a predominance of male patients and the highest frequency among adults aged 20-44 years. These findings provide national epidemiological evidence to support healthcare resource planning and the development of targeted prevention strategies for high-risk populations.
References
1. Departamento de Estadísticas e Información de Salud. Estadísticas de egresos hospitalarios [Internet]. Santiago: Ministerio de Salud de Chile; 2026 [citado el 5 de marzo 2026]. Disponible en: https://deis.minsal.cl/
2. Portal de Datos Abiertos. Estadística egresos hospitalarios [Internet]. Gobierno de Chile; 2026 [citado el 5 de marzo 2026]. Disponible en: https://datos.gob.cl/dataset/14560
3. GBD Spinal Cord Injuries Collaborators. Global, regional, and national burden of spinal cord injury, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet Neurol [Internet]. 2023 [citado el 5 de marzo 2026];22(11):1026-47. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1016/s1474-4422(23)00287-9
4. Balmaceno-Criss M, Lou M, Zhou JJ, Ikwuazom CP, Andrews C, Alam J, et al. What Is the Epidemiology of Cervical and Thoracic Spine Fractures? Clin Orthop Relat Res [Internet]. 2024 [citado el 5 de marzo 2026];482(12):2222-35. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1097/corr.0000000000003189
5. Yusuf AS, Mahmud MR, Alfin DJ, Gana SI, Timothy S, Nwaribe EE, et al. Clinical Characteristics and Challenges of Management of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury in a Trauma Center of a Developing Country. J Neurosci Rural Pract [Internet]. 2019 [citado el 5 de marzo 2026];10(3):393-9. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0039-1695696
6. Passias PG, Poorman GW, Segreto FA, Jalai CM, Horn SR, Bortz CA, et al. Traumatic Fractures of the Cervical Spine: Analysis of Changes in Incidence, Cause, Concurrent Injuries, and Complications Among 488,262 Patients from 2005 to 2013. World Neurosurg [Internet]. 2018 [citado el 5 de marzo 2026];110:e427-e37. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2017.11.011
7. Arriola M, López L, Camarot T. Perfil epidemiológico, clínico y funcionalidad alcanzada de la población con lesión medular traumática asistida en el Servicio de Rehabilitación y Medicina Física en el Hospital Universitario. Rev Méd Urug [Internet]. 2021 [citado el 10 de septiembre 2026];37(2):e37208. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.29193/RMU.37.2.7
8. Bokhari AR, Sivakumar B, Sefton A, Lin J, Smith MM, Gray R, et al. Morbidity and mortality in cervical spine injuries in the elderly. ANZ J Surg [Internet]. 2018 [citado el 5 de marzo 2026];89(4):412-7. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1111/ans.14875
9. Spota A, Giorgi PD, Cioffi SPB, Altomare M, Schirò GR, Legrenzi S, et al. Spinal injury in major trauma: Epidemiology of 1104 cases from an Italian first level trauma center. Injury [Internet]. 2023 [citado el 5 de marzo 2026];54(4):1144-50. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.injury.2023.02.039
10. Barbiellini Amidei C, Salmaso L, Bellio S, Saia M. Epidemiology of traumatic spinal cord injury: a large population-based study. Spinal Cord [Internet]. 2022 [citado el 5 de marzo 2026];60(9):812-9. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41393-022-00795-w
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Revista Confluencia
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
