Cardiovascular disease and spinal cord injury: results from a national population health survey.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and spinal cord injury (SCI) in a large representative sample.

METHODS: Data were compiled from more than 60,000 individuals from the 2010 cycle of the cross-sectional Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine this relationship, adjusting for confounders and using probability weighting to account for the CCHS sampling method.

RESULTS: After adjusting for age and sex, SCI was associated with a significant increased odds of heart disease (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 2.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.94-3.82) and stroke (adjusted OR = 3.72, 95% CI 2.22-6.23).

CONCLUSIONS: These remarkably heightened odds highlight the exigent need for targeted interventions and prevention strategies addressing modifiable risk factors for CVD in individuals with SCI.