Hyperglycemia During Acute Spinal Cord Injury Is a Detrimental Factor That Impairs Functional Improvement in Acute C3-C4 Cervical Cord Injury Patients Without Any Bony Damages

Introduction Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a major public health problem and a devastating event for individuals. Because the central nervous system has a limited capacity for endogenous regeneration and repair, it is necessary to identify factors that exacerbate SCI to prevent any further deterioration of neurological function and improve the outcomes of injuries [1]. We previously demonstrated that transient hyperglycemia during acute SCI is a detrimental factor that impairs functional improvement in mice and human patients after acute SCI [2]. Although we performed not only Pearson x analysis but also a multiple linear regression analysis in the previous study, neurological function is difficult to be assessed for the patients with multiple injury levels. It is more ideal to estimate neurological recovery after SCI to match the injury level.