Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
Spinal cord compression is caused by any condition that puts pressure on the
spinal cord. Spinal cord is the bundle of nerves that carries messages back and forth
from the brain to the muscles and other soft tissues. As the spinal cord travels down the
back, it is protected by a stack of backbones called vertebrae. They also hold the body
upright. The nerves of spinal cord run through the openings between the vertebrae and
out to the muscles. Spinal cord compression can occur anywhere from the neck
(cervical spine) down to the lower back (lumbar spine). Symptoms include numbness,
pain, and weakness. Depending on the cause of the compression, symptoms may
develop suddenly or gradually, and they may require anything from supportive care to
emergency surgery.
One of the most common causes of spinal cord compression is the gradual wear
and tear on the bones of the spine, known as osteoarthritis. People who develop spinal
cord compression from this are usually older than 50. Other conditions that may cause
spinal cord compression can develop more quickly, even very suddenly, and can occur
at any age are abnormal spine alignment (scoliosis), injury to the spine, spinal tumor,
certain bone diseases, rheumatoid arthritis and infection (Johns Hopkins University,
2016).
STATISTICS
As many as 500,000 people suffer a spinal cord injury each year. People with
spinal cord injuries are 2 to 5 times more likely to die prematurely, with worse survival
rates in low- and middle-income countries. The new WHO report, "International
perspectives on spinal cord injury", summarizes the best available evidence on the
causes, prevention, care and lived experience of people with spinal cord injury.
Males are most at risk of spinal cord injury between the ages of 20-29 years and
70 years and older, while females are most at risk between the ages of 15-19 years and
60 years and older. Studies report male to female ratios of at least 2:1 among adults.
Up to 90% of spinal cord injury cases are due to traumatic causes such as road
traffic crashes, falls and violence. Variations exist across regions. For example, road
traffic accidents are the main contributor to spinal cord injury in the African Region
(nearly 70% of cases) and the Western Pacific Region (55% of cases) and falls the
leading cause in the South-East Asia and Eastern Mediterranean Regions (40% of
cases). Non-traumatic spinal cord injury results from conditions such as tumours, spina
. Male
25 years old
Osteomyelitis
Injury