Health related quality of life in Turkish polio survivors: Impact of post-polio on the health related quality of life in terms of functional status, severity of pain, fatigue, and social, and emotional functioning

Abstract

Objective: To determine the impact of postpolio-syndrome on quality of life in polio sur-vivors.Methods: Forty polio survivors were included in the study. Twenty-one patients fulfillingthe Halstead's postpolio-syndrome criteria participated in postpolio-syndrome group. Theremaining nineteen patients formed non-postpolio-syndrome group. Control group wascomposed of forty healthy subjects. Quality of life was evaluated by Nottingham HealthProfile, depression by Beck Depression Scale and fatigue by Fatigue Symptom Inventory.Isometric muscle strength was measured by manual muscle testing.Results: Total manual muscle testing score was 26.19 ± 13.24 (median: 29) in postpolio-syndrome group and 30.08 ± 8.9 (median: 32) in non-postpolio-syndrome group. Totalmanual muscle testing scores of non-postpolio-syndrome group were significantly higherthan that of postpolio-syndrome group. Patients with postpolio-syndrome reported signifi-cantly higher levels of fatigue and reduced quality of life in terms of physical mobility, painand energy when compared with patients without postpolio-syndrome and control group.It was not reported a statistically significant difference in social and emotional function-ing and sleep quality between postpolio-syndrome, non-postpolio-syndrome and controlgroups. Also it was not found any statistically significant difference in Beck DepressionScale scores among the groups.