People with traumatic spinal cord injuries are at higher risk of developing chronic health problems

A new study by researchers at Brigham General in Massachusetts shows that people with traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) are at increased risk of developing a myriad of chronic health problems, regardless of age, location of injury, or prior health conditions. Their results are published in JAMA Network Open.

The journey does not end when a TBI patient leaves the hospital or rehabilitation facility. Programs need to be implemented to identify at-risk patients so that chronic care can be better managed and health issues that put patients at increased risk of death can be addressed. ”

Saef Izzy, MD, FAAN, FNCS, corresponding author, neurologist, Department of Neurology, Brigham General Hospital, Massachusetts

Izzy reported that TSCI patients were coming back with symptoms such as high blood pressure, stroke, depression, and diabetes, but it was unclear how common these symptoms were among TSCI patients. Although the immediate complications of TSCI are well known, such as difficulty breathing, uncontrolled blood pressure, and heart rate problems, few studies have examined the long-term health effects of these patients.

With this in mind, researchers assessed the long-term risk of cardiovascular, endocrine, neurological, and psychiatric disorders in patients with TSCI and compared rates with controls without this type of injury. Researchers analyzed hospital-based registries from January 1996 to January 2024 using data from Massachusetts General Brigham and the University of California (UC) Health System. The study included 1,038 patients with TSCI at Massachusetts General Brigham and 1,711 patients with TSCI at the University of California. The researchers recorded the incidence of chronic disease and mortality in the patient group over a follow-up period of up to 20 years. These data were used to compare results with matched control subjects without spinal cord injury.

Compared to controls, patients with a history of TSCI had a significantly higher risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, diabetes, and other neurological and psychiatric conditions. TSCI was associated with an increased risk of death even in previously healthy patients.

This study identified patient conditions based on established medical norms. Although there is a strong correlation between codes and new diagnoses, the authors note that they excluded patients with pre-existing conditions, meaning their findings may apply more to individuals who were healthier at the start of the study period. This may mean that the results underestimate how common chronic conditions are among patients with TSCI.

“These findings highlight the need for aggressive, multidisciplinary long-term care strategies,” Izzy said. “Future research is needed to identify effective interventions to reduce the burden of chronic disease in patients with TSCI.”