Long-Term Morbidity, Mortality Increased After Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

Patients with TSCI have higher risk for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, ischemic stroke, coronary artery disease, diabetes

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Nov. 14, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) have an increased long-term risk for multisystem morbidity and mortality, according to a study published online Nov. 4 in JAMA Network Open.

Ahmad Mashlah, M.B.B.S., from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study to examine the long-term risk for neurologic, psychiatric, cardiovascular, and endocrine comorbidities and associated mortality in patients with TSCI compared to matched uninjured controls. The analyses included 1,038 patients with TSCI from Mass General Brigham (MGB) and 1,711 from the University of California (UC) Health System who were matched with 3,114 and 5,133 uninjured controls, respectively.

The researchers found that patients with TSCI had a significantly higher risk for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, ischemic stroke, coronary artery disease, and diabetes compared with controls (hazard ratios, 1.6, 1.5, 2.5, 1.8, and 1.5, respectively) and increased risks for other neurologic and psychiatric conditions. Across different age groups, there was an elevated risk observed for post-TSCI comorbidities, including higher rates of hypertension and ischemic stroke among patients aged 18 to 45 years (hazard ratios, 1.5 and 2.8, respectively). Similar findings were seen in patients with TSCI from UC Health. Associations were seen for postinjury hypertension, pituitary dysfunction, adrenal insufficiency, depression, substance misuse, seizures, and dementia with higher mortality (odds ratios, 2.0, 6.5, 5.0, 2.9, 4.0, 6.4, and 4.8, respectively).

“The journey doesn’t end when patients with traumatic spinal cord injuries leave the hospital or rehab,” coauthor Saef Izzy, M.D., from Mass General Brigham in Boston, said in a statement. “Programs should be implemented to identify patients at risk so that we can better manage their chronic care and address health issues that put patients at higher risk of death.”

Several authors disclosed ties to the biotechnology industry.