Malnutrition in Spinal Cord Injury: More Than Nutritional Deficiency

Denervation of the spinal cord below the level of injury leads to complications producing malnutrition. Nutritional status affects mortality and pathology of injured subjects and it has been reported that two thirds of individuals enrolled in rehabilitation units are malnourished. SCI subjects lose muscle mass and bone and gain fat mass especially below the level of injury. Unwanted weight gain should be prevented because induces the risk for diseases such as diabetes, coronary heart disease and dyslipidaimias in this population The optimal nutritional assessment and management of the spinal cord injured subject can minimize the complications associated with acute traumatic injury and long-term rehabilitation [12]. This paper reviews methods of nutritional assessment and describes the physiopathological mechanisms of malnutrition in SCI subjects.

• 1
  Two thirds of individuals enrolled in rehabilitation units are malnourished, indicating a critical need for nutritional support as a primary treatment.
• 2
  After SCI, hyper catabolic responses lead to loss of lean body mass, obesity, increased susceptibility to infections, and reduced wound healing, emphasizing the importance of metabolic management.
• 3
  The paper reviews methods of nutritional assessment including diet history, nutritional requirements, clinical setting assessment, anthropometric evaluation and biochemical measurements.