The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between pain intensity, plasma lipids and severity of spinal cord injuries in patients with paraplegia (n=11), tetraplegia (n=16) and polytrauma (n=15). We concentrated on the hospitalization period immediately following injury.
After spinal cord injury, lower total cholesterol levels reflected more serious trauma intensity and HDL cholesterol predicted more intensive pain. Subjects responsible for their own injuries suffered less intensive pain than those who were not responsible for their injuries.