Abstract Background: India lacks comprehensive hospital registries for chronic central nervous system (CNS) conditions such as cerebrovascular accident (CVA), spinal cord injury (SCI) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Epidemiological data on these conditions remain limited. This study aimed to analyse demographic trends, aetiological patterns and associated comorbidities in CNS injury patients using electronic hospital discharge records. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review was conducted on electronic discharge records of patients admitted between 2019 and 2024. Keywords such as ‘stroke’, ‘cerebrovascular accident’, ‘paraplegia’, ‘quadriplegia’, ‘brain injury’ and ‘head injury’ were used to identify relevant cases. Data extraction was performed by three co-investigators, each focussing on one CNS condition (CVA, SCI or TBI). Demographic and clinical parameters were tabulated and analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: Amongst CVA patients, the male-to-female ratio was 2.7:1, with ischaemic strokes accounting for 77.08% of cases. The frontal (60.4%) and parietal (56.3%) lobes were most commonly affected. Hypertension (43.8%) and diabetes (18.8%) were the predominant comorbidities, while 14.6% developed urinary tract infections. In SCI cases, falls from height (39.02%) and road traffic accidents (RTAs) (32.92%) were leading causes, with thoracic-level injuries being the most frequent (45.12%) and pressure ulcers the most common complication (29.2%). Amongst TBI patients, the mean age was 35.2 years; 92.8% sustained injuries from RTAs and frontal lobe involvement was observed in 85.71% of cases. Conclusion: This study provides critical epidemiological insight into CNS injuries in Central India. Compared to the existing literature, our findings showed a higher male predominance in CVA, lower prevalence of hypertension, more thoracic-level SCI and a higher incidence of falls as a cause of SCI. These differences highlight the need for region-specific strategies, including early risk factor surveillance in young males, strict enforcement of road and workplace safety protocols and the development of national CNS injury registries to inform future prevention and management frameworks.
Nandi et al. (2026) studied this question.