Relationship between initial functional level and weight change in individuals with subacute spinal cord injuries. A retrospective observational study

Abstract Study Design : Retrospective observational study Objectives : 1) Describe weight change during and after in-hospital rehabilitation based on a large sample of retrospectively collected data. 2) Investigate associations between initial functional level and the change in weight, during and after in-hospital rehabilitation. Setting : Spinal Cord Injury Center of Western Denmark Methods : We extracted relevant information from a database of electronic hospital records in the period June 2013 to March 2023 on people admitted for in-hospital rehabilitation after their first time spinal cord injury. We used the routinely gathered information such as weight measurements and Spinal Cord Injury Independence Measure to assess weight change and the association to initial functional levels using multiple linear regression both during and after in-hospital rehabilitation. Results : During in-hospital rehabilitation (n = 579) the mean weight change was estimated at -0.25 kg 95% CI, -1.06–0.56 (p = 0.548), while subgroups of BMI revealed diverse patterns. After rehabilitation (n = 365) mean weight change was estimated at 2.47 kg 95% CI, 0.65–4.28 (p = 0.008). SCIM selfcare was associated with weight gain during in-hospital rehabilitation, and weight loss after discharge. Conclusions : On average individuals with SCI had stable weight during in-hospital rehabilitation. When stratified on BMI groups individuals with initial low BMI increase their weight, while individuals with initial high BMI decrease their weight during in-hospital rehabilitation. After in-hospital rehabilitation individuals on average increase their weight, regardless of their initial BMI. SCIM selfcare revealed an association between weight change both within and after in-hospital rehabilitation.