Comorbilidad y actividad física en personas con paraplejía

Abstract

The natural aging process associated with the long-term deterioration caused by spinal cord injury (SCI), compromise the chronic health condition and increase the disability. It has been observed that physical activity (PA) has an important role in primary and secondary prevention of many problems associated with SCI, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia. Therefore this prospective descriptive-comparative study was performed, to quantify the level of PA in the population with paraplegia, and determine the possible association with comorbidity and functionality. A group of patients with motor complete SCI, with neurological levels between T2 and T12 were recruited. They wore an accelerometer on the wrist of non-dominant limb for a week, resting heart rate was monitored, a spirometry was performed and the DN4 and CHART questionnaires were answered. The results of the study were: a) it was observed that the active patients had lower risk of comorbidity compared to their inactive peers; b) considered active patients had a better functionality; c) patients mostly used their time to sedentary activities; d) the heart rate variability was higher in active patients compared to inactive.

Date of Award	20 Mar 2015
Original language	Spanish
Supervisor	Enric Caceres Palou (Director), Miguel Ángel González Viejo (Director) & Luis Millán González Moreno (Director)