title: Polio Patients in Northern Italy, a 50 Year Follow-up.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Poliomyelitis was before the immunization an important medical problem. Nowadays polio prior patients (PP) suffer from polio sequelae or have developed post-polio-syndrome (PPS) with increasing paresis, pain and fatigue.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the medical situation 50 years after acute polio. The degree of paresis was compared between the recovery 1952-1961 and 2012.The prevalence of patients fulfilling the criteria for PPS was estimated.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was performed in Italy. Included were PP with rehabilitation after acute polio 1952-1961 and in 2012. During the years PP underwent yearly evaluation. A thorough neurological examination was performed in 2012. A telephone interview with questions concerning pain, paresis, fatigue, walking aids and concomitant diseases was performed in 2012. The patients were divided in two groups, if they fulfilled the criteria for PPS or not.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Included were 67(94%) patients receiving rehabilitation after acute poliomyelitis and 2012. 78% were walkers, half of the PPS used wheelchair. Eight out of ten suffered from pain. Four out of ten fulfilled the PPS criteria. Pain was slightly more common in PPS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Female gender, fatigue and wheelchair dependency were significantly more common in PPS while pain was common in both groups.
authors.affiliation: Section of Neurology, Department of Neurological, Neurophysiological, Morphological and Motor Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bertolasi
authors.affiliation: Section of Neurology, Department of Neurological, Neurophysiological, Morphological and Motor Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Danese
authors.affiliation: Section of Neurology, Department of Neurological, Neurophysiological, Morphological and Motor Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Monaco
authors.affiliation: Section of Neurology, Department of Neurological, Neurophysiological, Morphological and Motor Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Turri
authors.affiliation: Division of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Karolinska Institut at Danderyds Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Borg
authors.affiliation: Division of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Karolinska Institut at Danderyds Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Werhagen
keywords: Fatigue; Infantile paresis; Pain; Paresis; Polio; Post-polio-syndrome