The 2 biggest causes of death in spinal-cord injured persons are pressure sores and urinary tract infections .
Most persons lose urine control.
They may dribble uncontrollably or be unable to relax the muscles that let urine pass. Specialists mostly agree that often the best way to reduce the frequency and severity of urinary infections is to use intermittent catheterization . This is a lot safer than using a catheter that stays in place. Nevertheless, in some countries, doctors caring for spinal-cord injured persons often keep them on a permanent catheter, perhaps because they think that they will not live long in any case. It is very important that spinal-cord injured persons and their families communicate with and learn from one another, and not simply follow what their doctor tells them.