Long-term evolution of blood lipid profiles and glycemic levels in patients after spinal cord injury.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the lipid and glycemic profiles in relation to age, time elapsed post injury and the level of injury in a group of patients with SCI. SUBJECTS: 2135 subjects with SCI were recruited during the annual routine health check-up carried out at the Institut Guttmann of Badalona, in Spain. The patients were classified according to the level of SCI and their age. METHODS: Serum lipid profiles and glycemic (glucose) levels were determined. Data was collected between 1996 and 2001, all biochemical analysis being performed by the same laboratory. RESULTS: Serum cholesterol levels show a statistically significant correlation with patient's age(P<0.001) and with time elapsed after injury (P<0.05). Differences can be observed between the values obtained from the different injury level groups (F=22.14; P<0.001). LDL-c shows a statistically significant difference between the four different age groups (F=3.51, P<0.05). There is an increase in plasma triglycerides related to the increase in age of the patients without observable differences between the injury level groups. The concentration of serum glucose increases with age (P<0.001) and also with the time elapsed after injury (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: There is a direct relationship between various biochemical parameters (total cholesterol, LDL-c and glucose) and the age of the patients, but not with the severity or time of evolution of the spinal cord injury.

[Effects of diltiazem in supraventricular paroxysmal tachyarrhythmias]. / Effetti del diltiazem nelle tachiaritmie parossistiche sopraventricolari.

Diltiazem (0.3 mg/kg body weight intravenous in 2 minutes) was administered to 40 patients (24 males, 16 females, mean age 51.55 years) with paroxysmal supraventricular tachyarrhythmias: 7 patients with atrial fibrillation, 6 patients with atrial flutter, 25 patients with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, 2 patients with uncommon atrioventricular reciprocating tachycardia. In patients with atrial fibrillation intravenous diltiazem produced a significant decrease of ventricular response (from 160 +/- 11 to 113.57 +/- 10.34--p less than 0.01). In patients with atrial flutter intravenous diltiazem produced variable effects: an increase in atrio-ventricular block (from 2:1 to 3:1 atrio-ventricular conduction (2 patients); conversion to sinus rhythm (1 patient); change to atrial fibrillation (1 patient); no appreciable change of the basic rhythm (2 patients). In paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia patients conversion to sinus rhythm occurred in 20/22 patients (91%) treated with intravenous diltiazem (mean conversion time 4.69 minutes). In the 2 patients with uncommon atrioventricular nodal reciprocating tachycardia diltiazem increased P'-R and R-P' intervals without appreciable change of the basic rhythm. No serious side effects from drug administration were noted. Intravenous diltiazem appears to be as a highly effective medication in conversion or control of paroxysmal supraventricular tachyarrhythmias.