J Korean Acad Rehabil Med.  1997 Jun;21(3):525-532.

Clinical Features of Sequelae in Poliomyelitis Patients

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Korea.

Abstract

The Postpoliomyelitis syndrome (PPS) is characterized by new neuromuscular symptoms such as muscle weakness, joint pain, fatigue, and occasional new neuromuscular impairments. Although the development of PPS shows individual differences, it usually occurs many years after the recovery from an acute paralytic poliomyelitis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence and the clinical features of PPS. The subjects were 33 patients(26 males and 7 females) who had partial recoveries of motor function, ten or more years of functional stabilities, and residual muscle atrophies. The mean age was 36.8?7.7 years with the range of 23 - 59 years. The average onset age of acute poliomyelitis was 2.3 - 1.5 years. The questionnaires asking their current physical conditions and three major categories of PPS symptoms, weakness, fatigue, and pain were used. As the sequelae of poliomyelitis, 66.7% of the subjects showed scoliosis and 39.4% had claw toes. Thirty six percents of the subjects were using orthoses including wheelchair, KAFO, and crutches. According to the questionnaire study, 72.5% of subjects had at least one of the three major symptoms. And 36.4% of them reported all of three categories of PPS symptoms. The onset age of the new neuromuscular symptoms was 34.2?8.3 years which was about 32 years after the original acute poliomyelitis. Further researches to investigate the importance and the impacts of proper managements and to develop educational plans for the PPS including exercise programs, cardiopulmonary and energy-conservation trainings are recommended.

Keyword

Poliomyelitis sequelae; Postpoliomyelitis syndrome; Questionnaire

MeSH Terms

Age of Onset
Arthralgia
Crutches
Fatigue
Hammer Toe Syndrome
Humans
Incidence
Individuality
Male
Muscle Weakness
Muscular Atrophy
Orthotic Devices
Poliomyelitis*
Postpoliomyelitis Syndrome
Surveys and Questionnaires
Scoliosis
Wheelchairs
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