Prevalence and Severity of Central Sensitization in Post-Polio Syndrome: Associations with Clinical Measures and Quality of Life.

Objectives: To investigate the presence and severity of central sensitization (CS) and its associations with clinical measures and quality of life (QoL) in individuals with a history of paralytic poliomyelitis with and without post-polio syndrome (PPS).

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we included 98 individuals with a history of poliomyelitis, in whom 82 (83.6%) met the criteria of PPS. We used CS Inventory (CSI) to evaluate the presence and severity of CS. We evaluated the severity of fatigue, pain, polio-related impairments, and QoL using a Numerical Rating Scale in addition to Fatigue Severity Scale, Self-reported Impairments in Persons with late effects of Polio rating scale (SIPP), and Nottingham Health Profile (NHP).

Results: CS was present in 52.4% of patients with PPS, of which 63% are classified as severe to extreme. Those with CS reported more severe symptoms, more polio-related impairments, and worse QoL than those without CS. Severity of CS showed significant positive correlations with severity of fatigue, pain, SIPP, and NHP scales in those with PPS. CSI did not indicate CS in any of those without PPS.

Conclusion: CS was present in more than half of the individuals with PPS and correlated with more severe pain, fatigue, and more polio-related impairments, in addition to poorer QoL. These findings suggest that CS may contribute to the clinical picture in a subgroup of individuals with PPS. Thus, identification and appropriate management of CS patients may potentially help alleviate their symptoms and improve their QoL.