Patients with Spinal Cord Injury

Patients with spinal cord injuries, because of interruption of nervous impulses, have loss of sensation of heat, cold, pain, and light touch, as well as cessation of sweating, below the level of injury. Seborrhea and seborrheic dermatitis are precipitated and/or aggravated by febrile states, often caused by flare-ups of the ubiquitous urinary infection. Decreased sweating discourages dermatophytosis. "Nummular eczema-like" plaques are sometimes seen in areas of sensory paralysis. Loss of sensation predisposes to decubitus ulcers, with secondary amyloidosis. Observations and results of studies are presented dealing with these cutaneous disorders. Seborrhea and Seborrheic Dermatitis Although there is no histological evidence for secretory innervation of the sebaceous glands, investigators continue in their attempts to demonstrate a nervous control. These glands are probably controlled by endocrine channels which may, in turn, be regulated by the central nervous system. Lorincz and Lancaster1have found sebaceous gland atrophy after hypophysectomy in white rats