Restless leg syndrome in patients with spinal cord injury.

BACKGROUND: The presence of restless leg syndrome (RLS) in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) is not well established. We studied the frequency and severity of RLS in a population of patients with SCI and the effect of treatment with dopaminergic drugs when clinically indicated. METHODS: Consecutive patients with SCI admitted to an out-patient clinic of a neurorehabilitation hospital (n:195) were evaluated for the presence of RLS between February 2013 and May 2014. A diagnosis of RLS was made according to the criteria of the International RLS Study Group, and severity was assessed by the RLS rating scale. Information on gender, age, time since SCI, level and severity of SCI, was obtained. RESULT: The mean age was 54.7 ± 15.6 years (range: 22-81 year); with time since SCI: 16.9 ± 11.4 years (range: 1-50 years). Thirty-five of 195 patients (17.9%) presented RLS. Twenty-two out of 154 (14.3%) patients with cervicothoracic SCI and 13 out of 41 (31.7%) patients with lumbosacral SCI presented RLS. Restless leg symptoms were mild in 2 patients, moderate in 10 patients, severe in 12 patients and very severe in 11. Ten patients received dopaminergic agonist treatment with a significant reduction in RLS severity scale from 29.1 ± 5.9 to 10.2 ± 7.9. DISCUSSION: RLS occurs frequently in SCI patients and responds to dopaminergic treatment. Physicians have to be aware of this diagnosis to avoid unnecessary suffering in this patient population.

Effect of recent spinal cord injury on wnt signaling antagonists (sclerostin and dkk-1) and their relationship with bone loss. A 12-month prospective study.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) has been associated with a marked increase in bone loss and bone remodeling, especially short-term after injury. The absence of mechanical load, mediated by osteocyte mechanosensory function, seems to be a causative factor related to bone loss in this condition. However, the pathogenesis and clinical management of this process remain unclear. Therefore, the aim of the study was to analyze the effect of recent SCI on the Wnt pathway antagonists, sclerostin and Dickkopf (Dkk-1), and their relationship with bone turnover and bone mineral density (BMD) evolution. Forty-two patients (aged 35 ± 14yrs) with a recent (<6months) complete SCI were prospectively included. Sclerostin and Dkk-1, bone turnover markers (bone formation: PINP, bone ALP; resorption: sCTx) and BMD (lumbar spine, proximal femur, total body and lower extremities [DXA]) were assessed at baseline and at 6 and 12 months. The results were compared with a healthy control group. 22/42 patients completed the 12-month follow-up. At baseline, SCI patients showed a marked increase in bone markers (PINP and sCTx), remaining significantly increased at up to 6 months of follow-up. Additionally, they presented significantly increased Dkk-1 values throughout the study, whereas sclerostin values did not significantly change. BMD markedly decreased at the proximal femur (-20.2 ± 5.4%, p < 0.01), total body (-5.7 ± 2.2%, p = 0.02) and lower extremities (-13.1 ± 4.5%, p = 0.01) at 12 months. Consequently, 59% of patients developed densitometric osteoporosis at 12 months. Patients with higher Dkk-1 values (>58 pmol/L) at baseline showed higher sublesional BMD loss. In conclusion, this study shows that short-term after SCI there is a marked increase in bone turnover and bone loss, the latter associated with an increase in Dkk-1 serum levels. The persistence of increased levels of this Wnt antagonist throughout the study and their relationship with the magnitude of bone loss suggests a contributory role of this mediator in this process.

Restless legs syndrome in patients with sequelae of poliomyelitis.

BACKGROUND: No studies have examined the association between RLS and the sequelae of poliomyelitis (PM). We studied the frequency and severity of RLS in a group of consecutive patients with the sequelae of poliomyelitis (PM) and the effect of treatment with dopaminergic drugs. METHODS: A diagnosis of RLS was made according to the criteria of the International RLS Study Group, and severity was assessed by the RLS rating scale. Information on sex, age, age at onset, site affected by PM, disease duration of PM, and history of post-polio syndrome (pPS) was obtained in a cohort of 52 PM patients. RESULT: The mean age was 55.9 ± 6.5 years; 39 patients had post-polio syndrome (75%). RLS was diagnosed in 21 (40.4%) patients. Sixteen of the 21 patients (76.2%) with RLS had pPS, which was similar to the non-RLS group (74.2% patients with pPS). RLS symptoms were very severe in 5 patients, severe in 13, moderate in 2 and mild in 1. Nineteen of the 21 patients with RLS had symptoms predominantly in the more affected lower limb (90% of patients). Sixteen patients received dopaminergic agonist treatment with a significant reduction in their scores on the RLS severity scale from 28.3 ± 4.7 to 6.9 ± 7.3 (p < 0.001). DISCUSSION: RLS occurs frequently in patients with PM, both in those with and without pPS, and responds well to treatment with dopaminergic drugs.

Incidence of skeletal fractures after traumatic spinal cord injury: a 10-year follow-up study.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the incidence and factors related to the development and clinical evolution of fractures in patients with traumatic spinal cord injury. DESIGN: A retrospective 10-year follow-up study. SETTING: Neurorehabilitation centre. SUBJECTS: Sixty-three patients (50M/13F) with a mean age of 36 ± 20 years with recent traumatic spinal cord injury attended over a one-year period (January to December 2000). MAIN MEASURES: Medical reports were reviewed, evaluating risk factors for osteoporosis, fracture incidence during the 10 years following spinal cord injury, severity (ASIA score) and level of spinal cord injury (paraplegia/tetraplegia), type of lesion (spastic/flaccid), weight-bearing standing activity, and the cause, location and evolution of the fracture. RESULTS: Of the 129 patients attending during the study period, 75 had traumatic spinal cord injury (7 died and 5 had no follow-up). Finally, 63 patients were included. Fifty-four per cent had complete motor injury (ASIA A). Twenty-five per cent of these patients developed fractures, with 2.9 fractures per 100 patient-years. The femur was the most frequent location of the fractures. Fractures were observed 6.4 ± 2.4 years after spinal cord injury (range 2-10 years), all in males. Most fractures (70%) were related to low-impact injuries. Fifty per cent presented with associated clinical complications and only 20% of the patients had received anti-osteoporotic treatment. Spinal cord injury severity was the only risk factor for the development of fractures (complete spinal cord injury (ASIA A)) (RR 4.043; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.081-23.846, P = 0.037). CONCLUSION: The incidence of fractures after spinal cord injury is high, with severity and time since spinal cord injury being the main determinants for their development. Fractures were frequently associated with clinical complications. However, the use of anti-osteoporotic treatment was uncommon.

Mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia in patients with poliomyelitis.

OBJECTIVE: Paralytic poliomyelitis (pPM) is clinically suspected in individuals experiencing a non-progressive syndrome of flaccid paralysis and atrophy as a sequel of an acute infection. Despite normal sensory perception, patients with pPM complain of pain more than matched siblings. Here, we studied the characteristics of evoked pain in a cohort of pPM patients using contact heat evoked potentials and psychophysical tests. METHODS: Fifteen patients with pPM and 15 controls were studied. Inclusion criteria were unilateral or asymmetric involvement of lower extremities. Mechanical, warm and heat pain perception thresholds and evoked pain were measured in both thighs. Contact heat evoked potentials were recorded from the vertex. RESULTS: Mechanical and heat pain thresholds were significantly lower in the affected than in the less-affected leg or in the legs of controls. Evoked pain ratings were significantly higher in the affected leg than in either the less-affected leg or in controls. Evoked potentials were significantly higher in the affected than in the less-affected leg. CONCLUSION: Patients with pPM have mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia, which suggests abnormalities in processing of somatosensory inputs in these patients. SIGNIFICANCE: This phenomenon should be taken into account in the routine clinical evaluation and management of pPM patients.

Alterations in excitatory and inhibitory brainstem interneuronal circuits after severe spinal cord injury.

Reorganization of the central nervous system following spinal cord injury (SCI) involves changes not only at the cortical level, but also at the level of the brainstem. To further understand changes in excitatory and inhibitory brainstem interneuronal circuits following SCI, we studied recovery curves of the blink reflex (BR) to paired suprathreshold stimuli at various intervals (160, 300, 500, and 1000 msec), and prepulse inhibition of the BR following right index finger stimulation 100 msec prior to supraorbital nerve stimulation. Both parameters were studied in patients with SCI without baclofen treatment (n = 19), in patients with continuous intrathecal baclofen (CITB) (n = 9), and in healthy controls (n = 13). R2 recovery, expressed as the ratio of R2 area following the second stimulus divided by the R2 area following the first stimulus, was significantly greater in SCI patients without baclofen compared to controls and patients with CITB at all intervals, while there was no difference between patients with CITB and controls. Prepulse inhibition of R2 was significantly less in patients without baclofen compared to patients with CITB and healthy controls. Our findings indicate enhanced excitability and reduced inhibition of brainstem interneuronal circuits in patients with SCI, that are restored in the presence of baclofen to levels comparable to controls. In conclusion, SCI patients show more extended alterations in brainstem circuitry than previously thought. Decreased GABAergic mechanisms seem to be related to both excitatory and inhibitory brainstem circuit alterations. Baclofen appears to effectively restore this decreased GABAeregic activity.

Brainstem reflexes are enhanced following severe spinal cord injury and reduced by continuous intrathecal baclofen.

OBJECTIVE: Plastic changes in the human central nervous system can occur at multiple levels, including circuits rostral to the lesion level in spinal cord injury (SCI). GABA is the most important inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. The authors hypothesized that one of the consequences of plasticity in SCI patients could be enhancement of brainstem reflexes, and they investigated the effect of continuous intrathecal baclofen (CITB) on such enhancement. METHODS: The authors studied the early ipsilateral component R1 and the late component R2 of the blink reflex (BR), jaw jerk, masseter silent period (MSP), and auditory startle response (ASR) in 9 SCI patients without baclofen and in 8 with CITB. Nine healthy volunteers served as controls. RESULTS: The amplitude of R1 of BR was significantly smaller in patients with CITB than in the other groups. The area of R2 of BR and of the ASR recorded in the orbicularis oculi, sternocleidomastoid, and biceps brachii muscles were significantly larger in SCI patients without baclofen than in controls, whereas there was no difference between patients with CITB and controls. The MSP magnitude was significantly larger in patients with CITB as compared with those without baclofen. CONCLUSION: The enhancement of brainstem reflexes in SCI patients may be due to plastic changes at the brainstem level after SCI. The significant reduction in response size in patients with CITB in comparison with patients without baclofen suggests that the enhancement of brainstem reflexes may be due to decreased GABAergic activity and that CITB is effective in reducing abnormal brainstem hyperexcitability.

[Bowel dysfunction in patients with spinal cord injury: relation with neurological patterns]. / Alteraciones de la función intestinal en pacientes con lesión medular: relación con las características neurológicas de la lesión.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The study consisted of a clinical evaluation of bowel dysfunction and the relation with neurological patterns in spinal cord injury (SCI). PATIENTS AND METHOD: 109 patients; 30% tetraplegics and 70% paraplegics; ASIA Impairment Scale: 65% A (complete), 12% B (sensitive incomplete), 11% C (motor incomplete with muscle grade <3), 13% D (motor incomplete with muscle grade >or= 3). 83% had spinal sacral reflexes (SSR). An interview and ano-rectal examination were performed. RESULTS: 77% patients required laxatives and 68% digital stimulation; 10% had bowel movements less than thrice a week and 18% spent more than one hour; 27% presented constipation, 31% fecal incontinence, 31% had ano-rectal pathology and 18% had autonomic dysreflexia (AD). Patients ASIA A,B,C with SSR took more suppositories, evacuated less frequently and spent more time than patients without SSR. Tetraplegics ASIA A,B,C had more constipation. Only patients with high level SCI and ASIA A,B,C with SSR had AD. ASIA D patients also needed laxatives, digital stimulation and presented colo-rectal symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of colo-rectal symptoms is high in SCI patients and neurogenic bowel characteristics are related to neurological patterns.

Alteraciones de la función intestinal en pacientes con lesión medular: relación con las características neurológicas de la lesión / Bowel dysfunction in patients with spinal cord injury: relation with neurological patterns

Fundamento y objetivo: Evaluar clínicamente la función intestinal en pacientes con lesión medular y relacionarla con sus características neurológicas. Pacientes y método: Se evaluó a 109 pacientes, de los que el 30% presentaba tetraplejía y el 70%, paraplejía. En cuanto a la gravedad de la lesión según la American Spinal Cord Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale, el 65% se clasificó como A (completa), el 12% como B (incompleta sensitiva), el 11% como C (incompleta motora con balance muscular = 3). El 83% tenía reflejos espinales sacros (RES). Se realizó una entrevista y una exploración anorrectal. Resultados: El 77% de los pacientes necesitaba laxantes y el 68%, tacto rectal; un 10% evacuaba menos de 3 veces por semana y un 18% precisaba más de 1 h para la defecación; el 27% presentaba estreñimiento, el 31%, incontinencia, el 31%, enfermedad anorrectal y el 18%, disreflexia autónoma. Los clasificados como ASIA A, B y C con RES usaban más supositorios, evacuaban con menos frecuencia y necesitaban más tiempo para la evacuación que los pacientes sin RES. Los pacientes con tetraplejía y gravedad ASIA A, B y C presentaban más estreñimiento. Sólo las localizaciones altas de la lesión, con gravedad ASIA A, B, C y RES presentaban disreflexia autónoma. Los pacientes con gravedad ASIA D también precisaban laxantes, tacto rectal y presentaban síntomas colorrectales. Conclusiones: Los síntomas colorrectales son muy prevalentes y las características del intestino neurógeno están relacionadas con el tipo de lesión medular

Background and objective: The study consisted of a clinical evaluation of bowel dysfunction and the relation with neurological patterns in spinal cord injury (SCI). Patients and method: 109 patients; 30% tetraplegics and 70% paraplegics; ASIA Impairment Scale: 65% A (complete), 12% B (sensitive incomplete), 11% C (motor incomplete with muscle grade = 3). 83% had spinal sacral reflexes (SSR). An interview and ano-rectal examination were performed. Results: 77% patients required laxatives and 68% digital stimulation; 10% had bowel movements less than thrice a week and 18% spent more than one hour; 27% presented constipation, 31% fecal incontinence, 31% had ano-rectal pathology and 18% had autonomic dysreflexia (AD). Patients ASIA A,B,C with SSR took more suppositories, evacuated less frequently and spent more time than patients without SSR. Tetraplegics ASIA A,B,C had more constipation. Only patients with high level SCI and ASIA A,B,C with SSR had AD. ASIA D patients also needed laxatives, digital stimulation and presented colo-rectal symptoms. Conclusions: The prevalence of colo-rectal symptoms is high in SCI patients and neurogenic bowel characteristics are related to neurological patterns