Clinical and socio-demographic characteristics of persons with traumatic paraplegia living in São Paulo, Brazil.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the clinical profile of individuals with paraplegia living in São Paulo, Brazil. METHOD The sample consisted of 60 outpatients with traumatic paraplegia from whom clinical and demographic data were obtained. RESULTS The patients were predominately men (86.7%), single (61.7%), with mean age of 32.9 (SD=9.47) years, and complete or incomplete primary education (63.3%). Although 41.7% were born in different states, all patients were current residents of São Paulo, Brazil. The most frequent cause of paraplegia was firearm injury (63.3%) followed by car accident (20%). The most common complications observed in the patients were urinary (88.3%) and anal (45%) incontinence, muscle spasm (65%), and pressure ulcers (26.7%). CONCLUSION The data revealed that the sample consisted predominantly of young males with low education level, showing complications due to SCI, and who were victims of urban violence.