The Complexity of the Diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome

Abstract

A 50 year old woman from Iran who contracted polio at the age of two years with remaining moderate paresis of both legs. Since five years she suffers from fibromyalgia with tender-points and diabetes mellitus. She suffers from increasing weakness of her arms/hands and a numbness of her fingers. Electrophysiological examination and neurological evaluation confirmed a diagnosis diabetic polyneuropathy. DiscussionThe patients in the case report suffers from a clinical deterioration with pain, fatigue and muscle weakness which are main findings in the diagnosis PPS. However, the new or increased symptoms could be explained by concomitant diseases like fibromyalgia, polyneuropathy and diabetes mellitus and not by PPS and therefor she was not diagnosed with PPS. The present case report underlines the necessity to exclude concomitant disorders before the patients receive a PPS diagnosis.