Quadriplegia

Quadriplegia is caused by damage to the cervical spinal cord. The injury causes the victim to lose use of the arms and legs. The condition is also termed tetraplegia.

There are about 5000 cervical spinal cord injuries per year in America, and about 1000 per year in the UK. In 1988, it was estimated that lifetime care of a 27-year-old rendered tetraparetic was about US$ 1 million and that the total national costs were US$ 5.6 billion per year.

Delayed diagnosis of cervical spine injury has grave consequences for the victim. About one in twenty cervical fractures are missed, and about two-thirds of these patients suffer further cord damage as a result. About 30% of cases of delayed diagnosis of cervical spine injury develop permanent neurological deficits.

In some rare cases, through intensive rehabilitation, slight movement can be regained, as in the case of actor Christopher Reeve.

A related condition is paraplegia.

See also: List of quadriplegic people Clearing the cervical spine fr:Tétraplégie

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia article. Browse Wikipedia for more information.