Lipid Profile of High Tetraplegia (Above C4) in Japan

ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate whether the risk profile for coronary heart disease (CHD) is more favorable in individuals with high tetraplegia (neurological lesion above C4) than in healthy controls. (Because inactivity has a negative effect on the lipid profile.) Design: Case-control study. Setting: This research was performed in the rehabilitation hospital for the spinal cord injured persons. Participants: 19 healthy male controls (age-, height-, and body weight-matched) and 62 individuals with high tetraplegia (mean age 45.0±17.35 years) with a mean time since injury of 16.9±23.88 months were assessed the information was obtained from the 22 tetraplegics who had returned home from our hospital (all the other 40 left to other hospital), and recorded data on lipid values for comparison. Interventions: Not applicable. Main outcome measures: Total plasma cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) concentrations were measured, and calculated the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentration and the ratios of TC/HDL-C and LDL-C/HDL-C were calculated. Results: Significantly lower concentrations of TC, HDL-C and LDL-C were found in individuals with a SCI. However, no statistically significant difference was found between TC/HDL-C and LDL-C/HDL-C ratios of tetraplegic individuals and healthy controls. In individuals with high tetraplegia who were discharged home, HDL-C was still lower than normal control. Conclusions: Patients with high tetraplegia showed low HDL-C, but the TC/HDL-C and LDL-C/HDL-C ratios were normal.

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