Spinal conditions in geriatric patients in developing countries

Abstract

Background: The spinal injury in an elderly patient is associated with higher mortality and an increased frequency of life-threatening complications and specifically spinal cord injuries. The aim of this study is to study the prevalence of geriatric spinal neurosurgical conditions in the Neurosurgical Department at Khoula Hospital, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. Results: 171 patients were admitted due to spinal pathologies, which will be the main focus of the present study with an average age of 70.7 years. The male-to-female ratio was (1.5:1). Degenerative conditions were the most common spinal diagnosis (90.6%) followed by traumatic accidents (2.9%). Most of the patients underwent surgical intervention (78.9%). The majority of the patients (91.2%) of the patients stayed in the hospital for less than 15 days. There was a significant difference between the age of patients above and below 75 years the gender (p=0.003) and between the length of stay and type of intervention (P<0.005). Conclusion: Spinal cord-related pathologies are a growing cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide, because of the increasing number of elderly people due to an increasingly rising life span worldwide. In the present study, degenerative conditions were the most common spinal diagnosis followed by traumatic accidents.