Risk Factors and Prevention of Cardiovascular Dysfunctions After Spinal Cord Injuries. A Literature Review

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the potentially increased cardiovascular risk factors after spinal cord injury (SCI). Taking into account the pathophysiological mechanism of SCI, clinical presentation, and short-and long-term effects, this paper evaluates the prevalence of cardiovascular disorders. Reduced physical activity, low HDL cholesterol, an increase in body fat percentage, poor glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, psychosocial factors, and the hypothesised impacts of SCI on emerging risk factors are all potential increased cardiovascular risk factors following SCI. Nutritional counselling and intervention are especially crucial because people with SCI frequently eat less than is ideal. Screening for risk factors and a worldwide assessment of the risk of coronary heart disease are the first steps in prevention. People with chronic SCI are more likely to have poor glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, and hyperinsulinemia, according to reports. Important therapies for these patients include weight management, dietary adjustments, exercise, and glycemic control. Successful prevention to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease requires both patient and physician motivation. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non commercially, as long as the author is credited and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.