This letter to the Editor is to inform the readers of Spinal Cord regarding the changes made to The International Spinal Cord Injury Endocrinology and Metabolic Function Basic Data Set in its version 2.0. The changes are carried out on the basis of previously published version 1.0,1 and version 1.2.2 All versions to be found on International Spinal Cord Society website: http://www.iscos.org.uk/international-sci-endocrine-and-metabolic-function-data-sets.

To be consistent with more updated International Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) data sets, ‘Unknown’ has been inserted in the data collection form (appendix) for variables at 17 sites in the text: date of data collection; endocrine and metabolic conditions diagnosed before spinal cord lesion (collected once); endocrine and metabolic conditions diagnosed after the spinal cord lesion within the last year; gonadal status; height (or length) and weight; fasting serum lipid profile performed within the past year.

For the sake of consistency, a checkbox â–¡ has been inserted before Osteoporosis in the data collection form for the two variables: endocrine and metabolic conditions diagnosed before spinal cord lesion (collected once); endocrine and metabolic conditions diagnosed after the spinal cord lesion within the last year.

The remark: ‘If information was obtained other than from the medical record, please specify source’ has been removed from the text and the data collection form for two variables: endocrine and metabolic conditions diagnosed before spinal cord lesion (collected once); endocrine and metabolic conditions diagnosed after the spinal cord lesion within the last year. This change has been made because the International SCI data sets are now more commonly included in the electronic medical records.

In the comments to the variable, endocrine and metabolic conditions diagnosed after the spinal cord lesion within the last year, the following text has been substituted ‘Therefore, if osteoporosis is diagnosed according to accepted guidelines, the method used must be DXA, or if presumptively diagnosed from methods that are not validated to make the diagnosis of osteoporosis, or performed by qualitative methods, this would be designated as Other methods (e.g., CT, radiograph).3’ for the prior text ‘from methods that are not validated to make the diagnosis of osteoporosis, or performed by qualitative methods, this would be designated as…’.

In the variable gonadal status there is ‘adult’ inserted both in the variable codes and the data collection form before menopausal and postmenopausal: adult menopausal, adult postmenopausal.

Two new variables on alcohol consumption have been added:

How often do you have a drink containing alcohol?

How often do you have five or more drinks on one occasion?

The reason is that a gap has been recognized in the International SCI data sets that this information is not available. Excessive alcohol consumption may be associated with several metabolic and/or endocrine derangements, including hypoglycemia, dyslipidemia, osteoporosis, hypogonadism and hypercortisolism. The questions are from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test - http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/activities/sbi/en/.4