Traumatic and non-traumatic spinal cord-injured patients in Quebec, Canada. Part 2: biochemical profile.

Study Design: Community-based, cross-sectional study.

Objectives: This study aimed at examining and comparing biochemical profiles (blood and urine) of traumatic and non-traumatic spinal cord-injured patients (TSCIs vs NTSCIs).

Setting: The Interval Rehabilitation Center, Trois-Rivieres, Province of Quebec, Canada.

Methods: Medical records from a cohort of 175 chronic spinal cord-injured patients (94 TSCI and 81 NTSCI individuals) were thoroughly studied.

Results: Augmentations over time of red blood cell (erythrocyte), hematocrit and hemoglobin levels were generally found after spinal cord injury (SCI), specifically in NTSCI patients (late vs early chronic). In contrast, although leukocyte levels generally decreased over time after SCI, higher lymphocyte levels were detected only in NTSCI patients (late vs early chronic). Higher total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), protein and albumin serum levels were generally found over time after SCI, again, specifically in chronic NTSCI patients (late vs early chronic), whereas increased (twofold) nitrite and decreased (twofold) ubilirogen urine levels were found specifically in TSCI individuals (late vs early chronic).

Conclusion: Clear differences were reported between subgroups of SCI patients strongly supporting the idea that therapeutic approaches aimed to treat these problems should be specifically designed for each type of patients (that is, NTSCI vs TSCI or early vs late chronic patients).