Polio Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Polio, including details on symptoms, treatment, vaccines, causes, virus.

The challenge of diagnosing ALS in patients with prior poliomyelitis.

Salajegheh M, Bryan WW, Dalakas MC

NDS/NINDS/NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.

Four patients with postpolio syndrome (PPS) developed ALS. Weakness and atrophy started from previously unaffected extremities but, contrary to PPS, spread to all muscles leading to death within 0.4 to 8 (mean 3.9) years. Upper motor neuron signs were absent in the atrophic limbs. Abundant spontaneous activity and group atrophy in newly affected muscles were prominent. ALS can rarely occur in the postpolio population starting de novo rather than as evolution of PPS.

Published 26 September 2006 in Neurology, 67(6): 1078-9.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Polio Research Today. All Rights Reserved.