Incidence, Etiology, and Risk Factors for Fever Following Acute Spinal Cord Injury

This study looked at how often people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) get fevers, what causes them, and what makes some people more likely to get them. It's important because fevers can be a sign of other problems after an SCI. The study found that fevers are common in SCI patients, often due to respiratory or urinary tract infections. However, many fevers had no clear cause. Fevers with a known cause tended to be more severe. The researchers suggest that doctors should consider these findings when deciding how to investigate fevers in SCI patients, to avoid unnecessary tests and costs.

• 1
  The incidence of fever was 60.4% and 50% in acute care and rehabilitation, respectively.
• 2
  Respiratory and urinary tract infections were the most common identifiable fever etiologies.
• 3
  Unidentified fever etiologies were associated with lower temperature elevation and shorter fever duration.