Dr Khalid Anwar, consultant of physical medicine and rehabilitation, and clinical lead at Amana Healthcare. Khushnum Bhandari/ The National
Dr Khalid Anwar, consultant of physical medicine and rehabilitation, and clinical lead at Amana Healthcare. Khushnum Bhandari/ The National
Dr Khalid Anwar, consultant of physical medicine and rehabilitation, and clinical lead at Amana Healthcare. Khushnum Bhandari/ The National
Dr Khalid Anwar, consultant of physical medicine and rehabilitation, and clinical lead at Amana Healthcare. Khushnum Bhandari/ The National

Many spinal cord injuries in UAE not due to accidents, say doctors


Gillian Duncan
  • English
  • Arabic

A significant number of spinal cord injuries in the UAE are not due to traumatic causes, such as car accidents, according to experts.

Every year, somewhere between 250,000 and 500,000 people suffer an injury to their spinal cord, according to the World Health Organisation.

Globally, most of those cases, up to 90 per cent, result from traumatic causes, said the global health body.

“The most common causes of traumatic spinal cord injuries would be road traffic accidents, falls, injuries due to violence or sports,” said Dr Khalid Anwar, consultant of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Amana Healthcare, who was speaking ahead of World Spinal Injury Day on September 5.

“These are the main reasons for the traumatic injuries.

“But I think many people would be surprised to know there are many causes of non-traumatic spinal cord injuries.

“And in fact the incidence of non-traumatic spinal cord injuries [in the UAE] is greater than traumatic spinal cord injuries.”

Non-traumatic spinal cord injuries result from numerous causes, he said.

A significant number of spinal cord injuries in the UAE are not due to traumatic causes, such as car accidents, according to experts. Getty Images
A significant number of spinal cord injuries in the UAE are not due to traumatic causes, such as car accidents, according to experts. Getty Images

Some patients receive injuries to their spinal cord due to compression, which could include narrowing of the cord.

“Some patients would have a tumour in the spinal cord, which could be a primary tumour or metasteses from a tumour in any other part of the body.

“Another reason could be because of inflammatory causes or autoimmune causes. For example, we know that patients with MS can, because of the inflammatory process, sustain damage to the spinal cord, which results in weakness of their limbs.”

Other causes include damage from radiation, infection or a disruption of blood to the spinal cord, in a process that is similar to a stroke in the brain, known as an infarction.

Teenager on road to recovery after severe spinal injury

He said one recent patient, an 18-year-old Emirati woman who was referred to Amana late last year, suffered a spinal cord injury this way, due to infarction, which caused a blockage in blood supply to the spinal cord.

The cause of the blood clot was never discovered. But she has been able to make a good recovery, despite suffering a severe injury as a result.

“In some patients, in spite of a lot of investigation, we are unable to find what caused it. Unfortunately she was in that group of patients.

“Normally you would expect such kind of thing to happen in elderly patients whose vascular system was not good. But in an 18-year-old, it is very expected. Unfortunately, that is what she had,” said Dr Anwar.

The resulting damage left her with weakness in all four limbs and difficulties breathing. When she arrived at Amana she was on a ventilator.

She was gradually weaned off it and embarked on intensive therapy, which included strengthening exercises and occupational therapy that helped her relearn how to do things for herself again.

She was discharged from inpatient care in March, walking with a stick. She has since resumed her studies in microbiology.

“She is very lucky in that despite what looked like a very severe injury to her spinal cord, she has done extremely well. I know she is still needing help with bowel and bladder management.

“But apart from that she is mobilising, she is socialising. She goes out, she has gone back to her educational activities and all that.”

She is one of the lucky ones. A significant number of patients with spinal cord injuries do not recover as well as she has.

The spinal cord can either suffer a complete or incomplete injury, said Dr Anwar.

“Of patients who have complete injuries, so complete disruption of all the nerves, the chances of them recovering fully is very little. Although with rehab, they do regain independence depending on where the level of injury was.

“But the patients with incomplete injuries have a good chance of improvement, which can take from a few months to a few years. It’s not something that happens very quickly.

“The chances of recovery all depends how severe the initial spinal injury to the cord is. That is very important.”

if you go

The flights

Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes. 

The hotels

Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes. 

When to visit

March-May and September-November

Visas

Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Recipe

Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo

Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Method

Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.

Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.

Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking,  remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.

Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.

 

Profile

Company: Libra Project

Based: Masdar City, ADGM, London and Delaware

Launch year: 2017

Size: A team of 12 with six employed full-time

Sector: Renewable energy

Funding: $500,000 in Series A funding from family and friends in 2018. A Series B round looking to raise $1.5m is now live.

MATCH INFO

Red Star Belgrade v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight (Thursday), UAE

Updated: September 05, 2021, 6:19 AM`