Up To 500,000 Spinal Cord Injuries Per Year Worldwide The World Health Organization says as many as 500,000 people suffer spinal cord injuries every year. And it says people with such injuries are much more likely to die early. Recently, the World Health Organization released a report called International Perspectives on Spinal Cord Injuries. Alana Officer works at the WHO. She says spinal cord injuries do more than just cause paralysis, or lack of movement. There are a lot more associated health problems, such as difficulty with bowel and bladder function, difficulty with sexual function, associated problems around mental health conditions. So its much broader than just experiencing paralysis. Alana Officer is the WHOs Coordinator for Disability and Rehabilitation. She says the main causes of spinal cord injuries are traffic accidents, falls and violence. She says some causes are more common in certain areas. For example, road traffic crashes are the main contributors of spinal cord injury in Africa and the Western Pacific region. Falls tend to be the leading cause in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. And then we have high rates of violence in certain countries. We have high rates in the U.S. We have high rates in South Africa. And then weve also got the non-traumatic causes of spinal cord injuries, such as tumors and cancers, tuberculosis and spinabifida. Most people think of tuberculosis as a lung disease. But in some African countries, it is responsible for about one third of the non-violent spinal cord injuries. The birth defect spinabifida causes damage to the spine. In severe cases, it can affect walking and daily activities. Health officials say they do not yet know the exact cause of spinabifida. But they say it may be linked to genes and the environment. Alana Officer says more men than women suffer spinal cord injuries. Theres a ratio of about two-to-one of males to females. Men tend to be more likely to experience spinal cord injury between the ages of about 20 and 29 -- women, or certainly girls much younger, between sort of 15 and 19. So thats our first peak in young people. And then we get a second peak, interestingly, in older people. And the major driver of that is falls, tumors, cancer, et cetera. She says the main reason people with spinal cord injuries are more likely to die early is lack of medical care. A lot of people with spinal cord injuries, certainly in low- and middle- income countries, do not get appropriate emergency response care. Mortality rates are very strongly affected by the quality of the health care system. For example, if youre in a low-income country, you are three times more likely of dying in (a) hospital following a spinal cord injury than you would be in a high-income country. Ms. Officer says many of the causes of spinal cord injury deaths in poor countries are preventable. These include urinary tract infections and pressure sores, also known as bedsores. These are areas of damaged skin caused by a person staying in one position too long. Bedsores are usually not life-threatening problems in wealthy countries. People with spinal cord injuries can live pretty much the same amount of time as somebody without a spinal cord injury. Theres a slight difference, but certainly life expectancy has increased considerably in high-income countries. And its not the case in low- income countries. Experts suggest immediate action if a spinal cord injury is suspected, including immobilization of the spine, restricting its movement. The WHO says that should be followed by what it calls, care appropriate to the level and severity of the injury, degree of instability of the spine and compression of nerves. It also suggests skilled rehabilitation and mental health services. The WHO notes that up to 30 percent of people with spinal cord injuries show clinically-significant signs of depression. There is currently no cure for paralysis from spinal cord injuries, but many researchers are looking for one. Alana Officer says there is much that can be done to prevent such injuries -- including building safer roads and vehicles, reducing drinking and driving and wearing seatbelts. Other measures include improving safety in sports and the workplace, and adding window guards to windows. She says spinal cord injuries would be reduced if doctors could identify and treat tuberculosis earlier and by improving nutrition to reduce spinabifida cases. Scientists Create Lung Tissue from Stem Cells Finally, scientists have used stem cell technology to create working lung cells. Researchers say stem cells also could be used to create new drugs to treat diseases that restrict breathing. And they think the cells could one day create tissue for lung transplant operations. The research is another step toward what is being called personalized medicine. Over the past several years, scientists have used stem cells and growth factors to force the bodys master cells to create other cells. This process has created heart, intestinal, liver, nerve and insulin-producing cells as possible replacements for diseased organs.

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