Spinal cord injury is associated with enhanced peripheral chemoreflex sensitivity.

Amy T Bascom,M Safwan Badr,Abdulghani Sankari

doi:10.14814/phy2.12948

Amy T Bascom, M Safwan Badr + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.12948

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Abstract

Sleep‐disordered breathing (SDB) is prevalent in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI), but the exact mechanism is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate whether peripheral chemoreceptors activity is enhanced in individuals with chronic SCI compared to abled‐bodied control subjects using CO 2 and O2 chemical tests. In protocol (1) 30 subjects (8 cervical [cSCI], 7 thoracic [tSCI] and 15 able‐bodied [AB]) were studied to determine the ventilatory response to hyperoxia during wakefulness in the supine position. In protocol (2) 24 subjects (6 cSCI, 6 tSCI, and 12 AB subjects) were studied to determine the ventilatory response to a single breath of CO 2 (SBCO 2). The chemoreflex response to SBCO 2 was calculated as ∆VE/∆CO 2 (L/min/mmHg). The ventilatory response to hyperoxia was defined as the % change in VT following acute hyperoxia compared to preceding baseline. During hyperoxia SCI subjects had a significant decrease in VT and VE (63.4 ± 21.7% and 63.1 ± 23.0% baseline, respectively, P < 0.05) compared to AB (VT: 87.1 ± 14.3% and VE: 91.38 ± 15.1% baseline, respectively, P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between cSCI and tSCI in the VT or VE during hyperoxia (P = NS). There was no significant correlation between AHI and VE% baseline (r = −0.28) in SCI and AB (n = 30). SCI participants had a greater ventilatory response to an SBCO 2 than AB (0.78 ± 0.42 L/min/mmHg vs. 0.26 ± 0.10 L/min/mmHg, respectively, P < 0.05). Peripheral ventilatory chemoresponsiveness is elevated in individuals with chronic SCI compared to able‐bodied individuals.

Highlights

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is the second leading cause of paralysis and disability worldwide after stroke
Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American Physiological Society and The Physiological Society
We studied adults (≥18 years old) with chronic SCI and able-bodied participants if they met the inclusion and exclusion criteria

Summary

Introduction

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is the second leading cause of paralysis and disability worldwide after stroke. It is estimated that traumatic SCI affects 54 cases per one million populations annually, which has not changed for several decades (Jain et al 2015). While less than 10% of SCI patients will require mechanical ventilatory support beyond 1 year of injury patients with SCI are at increased risk for respiratory-related complications due to a 2016 The Authors. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American Physiological Society and The Physiological Society.

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