25 years or more after spinal cord injury: clinical conditions of individuals in the florence and stockholm areas

Abstract

Setting: Retrospective analysis and retrospective follow-up. Introduction: Spinal cord injury (SCI) patients have today a nearly normal lifespan. Avoidance of medical complications is key to this end. The aim of the study was to analyse health in individuals surviving 25 years or more after traumatic SCI in Stockholm and Florence, and compare medical complications. Methods: Data from the databases of the Spinal Unit of Florence and from the Spinalis, Stockholm were analysed. Patients included were C2-L 2, American Spinal Cord Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS) A-C, and X25 years post traumatic SCI. Patients underwent a thorough neurological and general examination, and were interviewed about medical events during those years. Analysed data include: gender, age at injury, current age, neurological level, AIS, cause of injury, presence of neuropathic pain (NP), and spasticity and medical complications. Results: A total of 66 Italian patients and 74 Swedish patients were included. The only statistical difference between the groups was cause of injury due to falls was higher in the Florence group (Po0.01). Male/female ratio was 4:1. Traffic accidents were the most common cause of injury. In all, 60% were paraplegics. Pressure ulcers (PU) occurred in nearly 60% and 32% experienced NP. Respiratory complications (RC) occurred in 25% among tetraplegics. Neurological deterioration occurred in 14%. Conclusion: PU, bony fractures, spasticity and NP are important problems after SCI. RC are of clinical importance in the tetraplegics. Complications occur during all periods after injury. Many patients are otherwise healthy 25 years or more after SCI.

Secondary Health Conditions, Activity Limitations, and Life Satisfaction in Older Adults With Long‐Term Spinal Cord Injury

“…In the present study, gender, cause of injury, and level and severity of injury were not associated with the occurrence of pain, which is in line with previous reports [37,38]. The occurrence of neuropathic pain among our participants (66%) is greater compared with previous Swedish studies, where 32%‐40% reported neuropathic pain [39,40]. This finding may be explained by an older age at injury in our sample.…”

Self-reported health problems and prioritized goals in community-dwelling individuals with spinal cord injury in Sweden

“…While large, well-designed, population-based studies such as the Stockholm Spinal Cord Injury Study (9) can provide detailed and reliable information, they are often expensive and difficult to conduct longitudinally. More recent studies from Sweden have reported that pain (10)(11)(12)(13), bladder and bowel problems (10,12), pressure ulcers (10,11) and cardiovascular diseases (14) were common problems in individuals with SCI. However, these studies had a narrow focus either related to a specific medical condition or to a specific phase of life after injury, or to a specific age-group.…”

Complications in patients with spinal cord injuries: a clinical study from a third level rehabilitation center in Turkey

“…Werthagen et al [17] found that the most common complications in patients with SCI who survived for more than 25 years were found to be pressure ulcers (62%), neuropathic pain (32%), and respiratory ailments (25%).…”