Analysis of sleep characteristics in post-polio syndrome patients.
The main post-polio syndrome (PPS) symptoms are new weakness, new atrophy, fatigue, pain and sleep disturbances. Polysomnography is the gold standard for sleep analysis.


OBJECTIVE
To analyze sleep patterns in PPS patients.


METHODS
Sixty patients (mean age 46.8+/-11.3 years) at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP/EPM) complaining of sleep disturbances were evaluated by means of polysomnography, performed at the Sleep Institute.


RESULTS
Sleep efficiency was lower due to high sleep latency and arousal index. The apnea and hypopnea index (AHI) and the periodic limb movements (PLM) index were higher. Sleep architecture was also impaired. There were no abnormalities of oxygen saturation, carbon dioxide levels, respiratory rate or heart rate.


CONCLUSIONS
New post-polio sleep disturbances were isolated symptoms. It appears that these symptoms were not due to post-polio features, but rather, that they were due to dysfunction of the surviving motor neurons in the brainstem. Abnormal dopamine production, which is responsible for many sleep-related breathing disorders and abnormal movements, may also have been implicated in the present findings.
Silva
Tatiana Mesquita E
TM
Department of Neurology, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. tatimsilva@gmail.com
Moreira
Gustavo Antonio
GA
Quadros
Abrahão Augusto Juviniano
AA
Pradella-Hallinan
Márcia
M
Tufik
Sergio
S
Oliveira
Acary Souza Bulle
AS
D000328:Adult; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010092:Oximetry; D017286:Polysomnography; D016262:Postpoliomyelitis Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology
D002245:Carbon Dioxide