C. Kling et al., The health-related quality of life of patients suffering from the late effects of polio (post-polio), J ADV NURS, 32(1), 2000, pp. 164-173
In Sweden alone, there are today approximately 10 000-16 500 polio survivor
s. Between 60% and 80% experience new symptoms several years after the init
ial attack of poliomyelitis. The aims of this study were to investigate and
describe the self-rated health-related quality of life and functional stat
us of a group of Swedish patients with post-polio, to investigate whether a
ny differences within the group could be related to demographic or disease-
specific data and to compare the post-polio patients with individuals sampl
ed from the general population. Data were obtained by using two questionnai
res, the Swedish Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire (SWED-QUAL) a
nd the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP). A total of 150 patients, 86 women and
64 men with median age 61 (20-82) years, were consecutively included. The
study showed that the patients mainly reported that their physical, functio
nal status was affected by their post-polio condition. Factors found to be
associated with the physical, functional status were age and the number of
parts of the body affected by the polio. On comparing the post-polio patien
ts with two samples from the Swedish general population, it was found that
the patients reported a poorer functional status and health-related quality
of life. The women with post-polio reported more pain, as compared with bo
th the men with post-polio and the women in the general population sample.
The family life of the patients - in contrast to their physical abilities -
did not seem to be affected by the new deteriorating condition. It is conc
luded that, owing to the wide range of symptoms, the patients with post-pol
io need care and support from multidisciplinary teams, including nurses and
occupational therapists.