Ischemic Bowel Syndrome in Patients with Spinal Cord Injury: A Nationwide Study

The aim of this study was to determine whether spinal cord injuries (SCI) is associated with increased risk of ischemic bowel syndrome (IBS) in an Asian population by analyzing data from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) in Taiwan.

Patients aged ≥20 years in the inpatient database with newly identified SCI from 2000 to 2011 were selected as the SCI cohort. For the non-SCI cohort, patients were selected based on a 1:4 risk-set sampling. Hospitalization with a new diagnosis of IBS during the follow-up was the main outcome measure. We used the standard univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression models to determine adjusted subhazard ratios (SHR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) in the SCI and non-SCI cohorts.

Patients with SCI were at significant risk for IBS, with an adjusted SHR (aSHR) of 1.25, 95% CI = 1.04-1.51. Multivariable analysis showed individuals with SCI were associated with a greater risk of IBS than individuals without SCI among males (aSHR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.16-1.86), all age groups (≤49 y: aSHR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.24-3.74; 50-65 y: aSHR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.15-2.88; >65 y: aSHR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.11-1.74) and those without comorbidities (aSHR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.04-1.93). Comorbidities including diabetes, hypertension, heart failure, coronary artery disease (CAD), Stroke, and end stage renal disease (ESRD) significantly increased the risk of IBS.

Patients hospitalized for SCI have increased risks of developing IBS. Though the mechanism that predisposes SCI patients to IBS is unclear, we suggest that physicians promptly identify and treat correctable risk factors.