Quadriplegia (patient information): Difference between revisions
| Line 45: | Line 45: | ||
==Prevention of quadriplegia== | ==Prevention of quadriplegia== | ||
Preventive measurements depends on the underlying cause. | |||
:*Avoidance of [[trauma]] or traffic accidents | |||
:*keep a healthy life style, control blood pressure and glucose, decrease the possibility of [[stroke]] | |||
:*Health education and closely check during pregnant period, prevent birth injury. | |||
==What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?== | ==What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?== | ||
Revision as of 15:11, 30 March 2010
For the WikiDoc page for this topic, click here
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Jinhui Wu, MD
Please Join in Editing This Page and Apply to be an Editor-In-Chief for this topic: There can be one or more than one Editor-In-Chief. You may also apply to be an Associate Editor-In-Chief of one of the subtopics below. Please mail us [2] to indicate your interest in serving either as an Editor-In-Chief of the entire topic or as an Associate Editor-In-Chief for a subtopic. Please be sure to attach your CV and or biographical sketch.
What is quadriplegia?
How do I know if I have quadriplegia and what are the symptoms of quadriplegia?
The symptoms of quadriplegia depends on the severity of the injury and the place it occurred. In general, injuries that are higher in your spinal cord produce more paralysis. Patients may experience one or more of the following signs or symptoms:
- Difficult in moving the limbs
- Unable to feel anything below the damaged area, or pain in the arms, legs, back, and other areas
- Loss of control on bladder and bowel control
- Difficult in breathing, or unable to breathe without help.
Who is at risk for quadriplegia?
- Spinal cord injury
- Tumor affected spinal cord
- Stroke
- Cerebral palsy
How to know you have quadriplegia?
- Medical history and physical examination
- Neurologic tests: Doctor may learn what area of your spinal cord is injured by this test.
- Spine x-rays: X-rays help doctors see the structure of your spine and detect the part of the spine that is damaged.
- Neck and spine CT scan: CT is a special x-ray machine that uses a computer to take pictures. CT scan can tell more detailed information on the areas that might be injured than general x-ray.
- Spine or head MRI (magnetic resonance imaging): An MRI uses magnetic fields but it is a different type of image than what is produced by computed tomography (CT) and produces detailed images of the body. The test can show structure not only in spine, spinal cord, but also in muscles.
When to seek urgent medical care?
When you feel quadriplegia, go to see your doctor as soon as possible.
Treatment options
Treatments need to start as soon as possible after diagnosis. Early treatment is very important for saving life and is related to the further quality of life.
- Assist breathing: If the patient is in difficult in breathing, he/she may be intubated to assist the breathing. This means that flexible tube carrying oxygen will be inserted down your throat.
- Surgery: Surgery can not repair the damaged nerves of the spinal cord. The goal of the surgery is to relieve pressure on the spine from bone fragments, or to stabilize the spine.
- Medications: Medications such as corticosteroid, methylprednisolone, may be used to reduce inflammatory reaction and prevent the spread of this damage if it is given within eight hours of the original injury.
- Rehabilitation: The purpose of rehabilitation is to prevent further injury and enable people with a spinal cord injury to return to an active and productive life within the limits of their disability. Measurements of rehabilitation depend on the nature and severity of the patient's condition. It usually focuses on loss of functioning and feeling in certain areas of the body, loss or impairments in organ functioning. Rehabilitation requires urgent emergency attention and ongoing care.
Similar symptoms
Where to find medical care for quadriplegia?
Directions to Hospitals Treating quadriplegia
Prevention of quadriplegia
Preventive measurements depends on the underlying cause.
What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?
Copyleft Sources
http://www.brainandspinalcord.org/spinal-cord-injury-types/quadriplegia/index.html
http://www.drugs.com/cg/quadriplegia.html