The results of research conducted in Australia found that among those who survived the first year after the injury, 47 percent of spinal cord injury sufferers with tetraplegia can survive with the condition for 40 years, while those suffering from paraplegia have a 62 percent 40-year survival rate. Paralysis can lead to several conditions that can result in death, such as: Pneumonia is the leading cause of death among spinal cord injury sufferers over 55, whose paralysis has affected the muscles and systems needed to breathe and expel lung excretions. Unintentional injuries result from the inability to feel sensations, including severe burns from the inability to feel heat. Suicide is a symptom of depression. Depression is a common complication faced by those who have encountered enormous life changes due to the injury. Sepsis is an infection that travels throughout the body’s systems through the bloodstream. Severe pressure ulcer wounds commonly cause this type of infection.