Hypertension and antihypertensive treatment in veterans with spinal cord injury and disorders

Hypertension (HTN) is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease, a major cause of morbidity and mortality among people with spinal cord injury and disorders (SCI/D). Our study examined prevalence, associated factors, and pharmacological treatment of HTN in Veterans with SCI/D compared with a matched control group. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of Veterans with traumatic SCI/D (TSCI/D; n=6672), non-traumatic SCI/D (NTSCI/D; n=3566) and a matched, non-injured cohort. Results: Over half of patients with TSCI/D (56.6%) had HTN, compared with 68.4% of matched controls (P<0.001). Paraplegic and tetraplegic Veterans with TSCI/D had significantly lower odds of having a HTN diagnosis compared with control (odds ratios (OR) 0.84 (0.77-0.91); OR=0.38 (0.35-0.42)). About 71.8% of patients with NTSCI/D had HTN compared with 72.3% of matched controls (P>0.05). Paraplegic and tetraplegic Veterans with NTSCI/D did not have significantly different odds of a HTN diagnosis compared with control (OR 0.92 (0.79-1.05); OR 0.85 (0.71-1.01)). Adjusted analysis indicates that Veterans with tetraplegia and HTN were less likely to receive antihypertensive therapy (TSCI/D, OR 0.62 (0.53-0.71); NTSCI/D, OR 0.81 (0.66-0.99)). Conclusion: HTN appears to be more prevalent in SCI/D Veterans than previously reported. TSCI/D Veterans have a significantly lower prevalence of HTN whereas NTSCI/D Veterans have a comparable prevalence of HTN to those without SCI/D. The level of injury (tetraplegia vs paraplegia) has a large impact on the prevalence of HTN in the traumatic cohort. Subsequent antihypertensive therapy is used less in both TSCI/D and NTSCI/D Veterans with tetraplegia and more in TSCI/D Veterans with paraplegia. Spinal Cord (2013) 51, 109-115; doi:10.1038/sc.2012.122; published online 13 November 2012