Pharmacological Management of Spinal Cord Injuries

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. 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. 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.