Varied clinical patterns, physical activities, muscle enzymes, electromyographic and histologic findings in patients with post-polio syndrome in Taiwan

Abstract

Study design: A study of the clinical features, physical activity, muscle enzyme, electromyography and histopathological alternations of muscles in patients with post-polio syndrome (PPS). Objective: To assess the varied patterns of PPS in Taiwan. Setting: Taiwan. Methods: Thirty-one patients who fulfill the inclusion criteria of PPS were selected for study. Clinical features, physical activity scale, serum concentrations of creatine kinase, electromyography and histopathological alterations of muscles were assessed and correlated to the causes of PPS patients. Results: Patients with PPS in Taiwan are relatively young, with a mean age of 39.3 years. Elevated concentration of creatine kinase was found predominantly in male patients with higher physical activities. Electromyographic examinations as well as histological tests of affected muscles revealed prominent evidence of chronic and active denervation with reinnervation in PPS patients. Conclusion: Patients with PPS in Taiwan are young. Thus, PPS should not be attributed to aging. Physical attrition with degradation of nerve terminals is considered the main cause of this disease. Sponsorship: This study was supported by the National Science Council, Republic of China under grant no. NSC-83-0412-B002-302.