Most degenerative cervical myelopathy remains undiagnosed, particularly amongst the elderly: modelling the prevalence of degenerative cervical myelopathy in the United Kingdom.

To our knowledge, this is the first study to estimate the age-stratified prevalence of DCM and estimate underdiagnosis. There is a substantial difference between estimates of DCM prevalence derived from SCC data and UK hospital activity data. This is greatest amongst elderly populations, indicating a potential health inequality.