Evaluation of Fatigue Severity, Mood, and Quality of Life in Post-Polio Syndrome

Our research is designed as a case-control study. 20 patients diagnosed with post-polio syndrome who present to the Istanbul Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital clinics and 20 healthy volunteers will be included in the study. The sociodemographic data of patients and volunteers, such as age, gender, height, weight, body mass index, education level, and occupation, will be recorded. The age at which polio was contracted, the time elapsed since polio, and any accompanying illnesses will be documented. Additionally, if patients experience new symptoms such as pain, weakness, or fatigue, the severity of these symptoms will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale. The frequency of falls and the presence of fractures caused by falls, ambulation method, and devices used will be noted. Muscle weakness in the extremities will be identified by applying the Manual Muscle Test through physical examination. Subsequently, the patient's current symptoms related to depression and anxiety will be evaluated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), fatigue level will be assessed using the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), and quality of life will be evaluated using the Short Form-36 (SF-36).

Inclusion criteria

• Individuals aged between 18 and 60 with post-polio syndrome.
• Healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 60

Exclusion criteria

• fibromyalgia,
• chronic fatigue syndrome,
• presence of chronic decompensated cardiac, renal, and hepatic insufficiency,
• known psychiatric disorders,
• rheumatological diseases,
• presence of other known neurological diseases,
• use of medications aimed at improving physical performance or alleviating fatigue.