Relationship between Clinical Complications and Disability in Colombians with Spinal Cord Injury:Results from WHO-DAS II

Abstract

Introduction: Clinical complications in persons with spinal cord injury are associated with increased morbidity and mortality, aggravateddisability and prolonged rehabilitation processes. Recognizing these difficulties is important to developing strategies for preventionand early detection to mitigate their impact on disability and to improve the quality of life for this population. Objective: The study wasintended to identify the relationship between clinical complications and the degree of disability among Colombians with spinal cord injury.Materials and methods: The frequency of clinical complications in the last year was determined and the relationship between thesecomplications and the degree of disability was identified, evaluated with WHO-DAS II, through the Student’s t-test and an exploration ofsimple linear regression models. The participants included 363 persons over 18 years of age with a spinal cord injury sustained more thansix months before. The participants were from eight Colombian cities. Results: There were seven clinical complications per patient, onaverage. The most frequent complications were urinary tract infections, spasticity, hyperesthesia, psychological stress and chronic pain.The complications that best explain the disability, using simple regression models, are depression and psychological stress, followed byrespiratory complications, intestinal problems, pressure ulcers, malnutrition and spasticity (p <0.01). Conclusions: The clinical complicationsassociated with spinal cord injury are still frequent in Colombia, despite the improvement in processes for care and rehabilitation.Many of these complications are associated fundamentally with the generation of disability.