Research Indicates That Spinal Cord Injuries Could Lead to Chronic Immune Dysfunction

OSU Wexner Medical Centre and OSU College Of Medicine have published a study involving mice with spinal cord injuries. Crucially, they discovered that their subjects develop an acquired bone marrow failure syndrome.

The end result of this research could help explain why sufferers have more serious infections compared to those who don't.

It can also lead to a better understanding of how to treat patients with spinal cord injuries and prevent complications.

What Is Bone Marrow Failure Syndrome?

Bone marrow failure syndrome is caused when your body can't make healthy blood cells for itself. Instead, your body makes malformed or 'immature' blood cells, which gradually replace the healthy cells as they decay.

Your body needs a variety of healthy blood cells to function properly. Sufferers of bone marrow failure syndrome thus suffer from a range of symptoms, including:

• Feeling tired, weak, and breathless (because their red blood cells cannot carry oxygen around the body effectively)

• Frequent infections (Because their body cannot produce good white blood cells to fight infection)

• A tendency to bleed or bruise easily (Because they cannot produce palates to clot their blood)

Treatment for bone marrow failure syndrome focuses on replenishing healthy blood cells. Additionally, sufferers receive low doses of antibiotics to prevent serious infection.

The Link Between Bone Marrow Failure Syndrome and Chronic Immune Deficiency

Healthy bone marrow is essential in creating immune cells such as white blood cells. However, to work properly, it needs to be able to communicate with the nervous system.

Head researcher Randall S. Carpenter explained that 'research shows that spinal cord injury causes stem cells in the bone marrow - those required to make new immune cells - to rapidly divide. But after cell division, these cells become trapped in the bone marrow.'

A spinal cord injury cuts crucial connections to the main part of the nervous system. This prevents the healthy cells trapped in the bone marrow from becoming free.

This could contribute to chronic issues with immunity deficiency. This is due to the body being no longer able to produce enough immune cells to fight infections.

Hope for Those With Spinal Cord Injuries

According to diamondlaw.ca,'It's estimated that there are more than 86,000 Canadians living with traumatic spinal cord injuries, and every year 4,300 new individuals suffer one.' Even mild spinal cord injuries can contribute to chronic pain and a lower quality of life.

The research conducted by OSU Wexner Medical Centre and OSU College Of Medicine could help offer better treatment. This could help sufferers have a better quality of life.

In particular, it could help doctors to develop treatments for spinal cord injury sufferers to improve their immunity. This could help prevent common infections such as colds from becoming life-threatening.

Final Word

Spinal cord injuries have a life-changing impact on those who get them. Recent research on mice has identified that they can impact the body's ability to maintain healthy bone marrow. This can lead to chronic immunity deficiencies.

However, the research has also indicated that this symptom could be reversed with the right medical intervention. This could help contribute to a longer and better quality of life for those with spinal cord injuries. We look forward to seeing what the future has in store.