Post‐polio syndrome and total health status in a prospective hospital study

Abstract

New loss of function among patients with previous polio is frequently reported and has several causes. All patients referred to the Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, for 13 months during 2000-2001 with diagnosis late effects of polio were examined prospectively to identify their symptoms and loss of function. Eighty-five patients aged 47-91 years with mean of 61 years were included. The most common complaints were pain (44%), muscular weakness (27%), and fatigue (16%). Muscular weakness occurred in lower limbs in 75%, in respiratory muscles in only 5%. Walking in stairs was impaired in 72% and outdoor walking in 65%. Seventeen patients (19%) reported no loss of function. Post-polio syndrome was diagnosed in 26% of the patients. Polio-related loss of function including cervical and lumbosacral radiculopathies, mononeuropathies and degenerative joint disease were found in an additional 53%. Eleven patients (13%) had distinct non-polio-related disorders that caused new loss of function. The remaining 8% had a stable condition. In conclusion, the majority of polio patients who seek hospital, experience a new loss of function because of polio-related disorders. A careful neurological examination is necessary to identify the correct diagnosis and treatment.

Analysis of long-standing nociceptive and neuropathic pain in patients with post-polio syndrome

“…Besides increasing muscle weakness and fatigue, pain is, as pointed out in earlier studies [1][2][3][4][5], one of the most prominent symptoms of PPS. In the present study over 60% of PPS patients experienced pain, that is, the findings of this study were in accordance with earlier studies.…”

“…PPS occurs after a period, often several decades, of stability in patients with prior poliomyelitis; the symptoms include weakness, muscular and general fatigue and pain [1][2][3][4]. In a study of 85 PPS patients, pain was the most common complaint, with a prevalence of 44% [5]. In a study of 32 PPS patients, Willén et al [6] found that more than 50% experienced pain daily and that the mean VAS score was 55.…”

Fatigue, pain and muscle weakness are frequent after Guillain-Barré syndrome and poliomyelitis

“…Previous studies [8,23,24] revealed that up to 60 % of poliomyelitis patients reported pain as a disabling health problem. More than 80 % of GBS patients reported pain in the acute phase of the disease [25,26].…”

“…The results are important, since the long-term outcome after GBS may be variable [3][4][5] poliomyelitis sequelae influences activities of daily living [5,10,23,24,37,38]. Clinical scales often do not reflect functional disability [39], and this study therefore used the DRI scale assessing 10 activities of daily living.…”

The Complexity of the Diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome

“…other cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, poly-neuropathy and degenerative disorders as earlier described [8] and might need investigation and treatment in other units. Therefore patients with prior polio needs a careful examination and evaluation at a PPS unit to confirm the diagnose PPS.…”