Premium
Post‐polio syndrome: epidemiologic and prognostic aspects in Brazil
Author(s) -
Conde M. T. R. P.,
Oliveira A. S. B.,
Quadros A. A. J.,
Moreira G. A.,
Silva H. C. A.,
Pereira R. D. B.,
E Silva T. M.,
Tufik S.,
Waldman E. A.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
acta neurologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.967
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1600-0404
pISSN - 0001-6314
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0404.2008.01142.x
Subject(s) - medicine , poliomyelitis , epidemiology , logistic regression , disease , physical therapy , residence , outpatient clinic , pediatrics , demography , sociology
Objectives – To describe the clinical and epidemiological aspects of post‐polio syndrome (PPS) and identify predictors of its severity. Materials and methods – 132 patients with PPS were selected at the Neuromuscular Disease Outpatient Clinic of the Federal University of São Paulo. Descriptive analysis was carried out and predictors of PPS severe forms were investigated using an unconditional logistic regression. Results – The average age at onset was 39.4 years. The most common symptoms were fatigue (87.1%), muscle pain (82.4%) and joint pain (72.0%); 50.4% of the cases were severe. The following were associated with PPS severity: a ≤4‐year period of neurological recovery (OR 2.8), permanent damage in two limbs (OR 3.6) and residence at the time of acute polio in a city with more advanced medical assistance (OR 2.5). Conclusions – Health professionals should carefully evaluate polio survivors for PPS and be aware of the implications of muscle overuse in the neurological recovery period.