Pharmacological Management of Spinal Cord Injuries: Difference between revisions
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== Introduction == | == Introduction == | ||
Every year there are around 17,700 new cases of spinal cord injuries in the United States of America, most commonly from vehicular accidents and falls<ref name=":0">https://www.nscisc.uab.edu/Public/Facts%20and%20Figures%20-%202018.pdf</ref>. The primary injury in these events is a compression, tear, or dissection of the spinal cord in the spinal column. Often, there is a secondary injury to the peripheral nerves off the dorsal and ventral roots, an inflammatory response, and subsequent axonal degeneration<ref>(Kabu et al. 2015)</ref>. These injuries carry a high price for care, as lifetime costs can range from $1.6 to $4.9 million if injury occurs at age 25. Life expectancy has not improved substantially since the 1980s, and the leading causes of death are pneumonia and septicemia<ref name=":0" />. | Every year there are around 17,700 new cases of spinal cord injuries in the United States of America, most commonly from vehicular accidents and falls<ref name=":0">https://www.nscisc.uab.edu/Public/Facts%20and%20Figures%20-%202018.pdf</ref>. The primary injury in these events is a compression, tear, or dissection of the spinal cord in the spinal column. Often, there is a secondary injury to the peripheral nerves off the dorsal and ventral roots, an inflammatory response, and subsequent axonal degeneration<ref>(Kabu et al. 2015)</ref>. These injuries carry a high price for care, as lifetime costs can range from $1.6 to $4.9 million if injury occurs at age 25. Life expectancy has not improved substantially since the 1980s, and the leading causes of death are pneumonia and septicemia<ref name=":0" />. | ||
The symptoms of spinal cord injury are managed with pharmacological interventions that target: pain, spasticity and inflammation<ref>(Singh et al., 2014)</ref>. Controlling these symptoms can help limit further complications such as autonomic dysreflexia, initiate tissue repair, and help patients and physical therapists preserve or restore function<ref>Noller, Groah, and Nash, 2017</ref>. | |||
== [[Opioids in the Treatment of Spinal Cord Injuries|Opioids]] == | == [[Opioids in the Treatment of Spinal Cord Injuries|Opioids]] == |
Revision as of 22:36, 28 November 2018
Introduction[edit | edit source]
Every year there are around 17,700 new cases of spinal cord injuries in the United States of America, most commonly from vehicular accidents and falls[1]. The primary injury in these events is a compression, tear, or dissection of the spinal cord in the spinal column. Often, there is a secondary injury to the peripheral nerves off the dorsal and ventral roots, an inflammatory response, and subsequent axonal degeneration[2]. These injuries carry a high price for care, as lifetime costs can range from $1.6 to $4.9 million if injury occurs at age 25. Life expectancy has not improved substantially since the 1980s, and the leading causes of death are pneumonia and septicemia[1].
The symptoms of spinal cord injury are managed with pharmacological interventions that target: pain, spasticity and inflammation[3]. Controlling these symptoms can help limit further complications such as autonomic dysreflexia, initiate tissue repair, and help patients and physical therapists preserve or restore function[4].