title: Medication before and after a spinal cord lesion.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To map the impact of spinal cord lesion (SCL) on medication.
  
  
  METHODS
  Registration of medication for 72 patients before SCL and at discharge from the Department for Spinal Cord Injuries.
  
  
  METHODS
  Department for Spinal Cord Injuries, East Denmark.
  
  
  METHODS
  The changes in medication for each Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) Classification System group were registered for all patients, who were discharged from Department for Spinal Cord Injuries during 2010. The changes in medication per se were calculated for different parts of the population: non-traumatic, traumatic patients, men, women, paraplegia, tetraplegia, American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) A, B or C, AIS D, age 0-45, 46-60 and 60+. In addition, comparisons of changes in medication were made between complementary parts of the population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall increase in medication after SCL was 3.29 times (P<0.001). Statistically significant increases were seen for most medicine categories. When studying subgroups of the population, the increase was most constantly seen for the medicine in the groups 'Alimentary tract and metabolism' and 'Nervous system'. The highest overall increases were seen in patients with AIS A, B and C compared with AIS D (P<0.05). There was no difference between traumatic and non-traumatic SCL, men and women, and younger compared with older patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SCL elicits a general massive need for medicine. The relative increase is most pronounced for the more severely injured (AIS A, B and C). The increase in medication may have implications for side effects and for the economy of all involved.
authors.affiliation: 1] Department for Spinal Cord Injuries, Glostrup University Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark [2] Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: E K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.affiliation: 1] Department for Spinal Cord Injuries, Glostrup University Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark [2] Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Biering-Sørensen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010351:Patient Discharge; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult