Association between traumatic spinal cord injury and affective and other psychiatric disorders–A nationwide cohort study and effects of rehabilitation therapies

Abstract

BackgroundThis study aimed to investigate the association between traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) and the risk of affective and other psychiatric disorders, and the role of the rehabilitation therapies. MethodsIn this population-based, retrospective cohort study, we used Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database to analyze the patients who were newly diagnosed with TSCI between 2000 and 2015 were included, with a 1:3 ratio by age, sex, and index year matched in the non-TSCI comparison group, for the risk of affective and other psychiatric disorders. ResultsIn total, 5375 out of 16,151 patients with TSCI developed psychiatric disorders, and 1467 out of 48,543 patients in the non-TSCI group developed psychiatric disorders (2930.88 vs 2823.29 per 100,000 persons/year). The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the TSCI cohort had a significantly higher risk of psychiatric disorders (log-rank, p < 0.001). Fine and Gray's survival analysis revealed that the adjusted hazard ratio was 1.977 (95% CI: 1.914–2.042, p < 0.001). Rehabilitation therapies, including physical and occupational therapies, within 90 days after the injury, was associated with a lowered risk of psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder, in the TSCI cohort (adjusted HR = 0.702 [95% CI: 0.661–0.746, p < 0.001]). In the subgroups with low, medium, and high intensity, rehabilitation therapies were associated with a lowered risk of psychiatric disorders. ConclusionsTSCI was associated with the risk of affective and other psychiatric disorders, and rehabilitation therapies were associated with a lowered risk of these in the TSCI cohort.