SummaryThe clinical impression that spinal cord injured and traumatic lower limb amputees are more prone to develop degenerative diseases was investigated by comparing the prevalance of hypertension, ischaemic heart disease, and diabetes mellitus in these two patient groups with the prevalence of these diseases among a group of healthy age matched controls. Seventy seven spinal cord injured patients and 53 amputees ful filled the criteria for inclusion in this study. Our results show a significant increased incidence of hypertension and ischaemic heart disease among those with spinal cord injuries compared with their controls; and among the amputees, a significant in creased incidence of ischaemic heart disease and of diabetes mellitus.

Summary. Systemic humoral factors have been studied in traumatic, chronic and acute spinal cord injured patients. Antibodies specific to nervous system auto antigens were detected in a majority of the sera obtained from these patients, at different periods after injury. Limited in vitro sprouting of dorsal root ganglia in chicken embryos was observed in the presence of serum from these patients. The possible association between growth inhibiting factors and the presence of antibodies against nervous tissue autoantigens is discussed.

Ninety females underwent mastectomy for breast cancer and were thereafter investigated to determine whether nerve entrapments were responsible for some of the disabling symptoms in their arms. The majority of these patients suffered from fullness (edema), numbness, paraesthesia, weakness and pain of the arm on the mastecotmized side. Lymphedema of varying degrees found in 50% of these patients was associated with brachial plexus entrapment and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). 28% of the patients has CTS, and 28% suffered from brachial plexus entrapment of the arm on the mastecotmized side, as compared with 8% and 5%, respectively, on the nonoperated side. 12% of the patients suffered from both types of entrapment. Thus we consider that brachial plexus entrapment and carpal tunnel syndrome should be added to the list of complications following mastectomy, with lymphedema playing an active part in their development.