Case report: Effect of immunoglobulin on pain in Post-Polio Syndrome—Three case reports

Lars Werhagen, Kristian Borg

Division of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Danderyd University Hospital, Danderyd, Sweden.

DOI: 10.4236/pst.2013.11001                

Abstract

Study design: Case reports. Setting: University hospital setting. Objective: To analyze the effect of intravenous immunoglobulin on neuropathic and nociceptive pain in three patients with Post-Polio Syndrome (PPS). Materials and Methods: Three patients with PPS and pain who received treatment with 90 g IvIg are described. Results: Before treatment one of the patients had pure neuropathic pain and the other two had a combination of neuropathic and nociceptive pain. There was no effect on pain in the patient with pure neuropathic pain and only effect on the nociceptive pain in the patients with a combination of neuropathic and nociceptive pain. Discussion: Pain is one of the most common symptoms in PPS. Previous studies have shown an effect on pain in PPS patients receiving IvIg. The results of the present study point to that the effect on pain is limited to nociceptive pain and that there is no effect on neuropathic pain which leads to increased knowledge of characterization of responders of IvIg treatment. Conclusion: IvIg treatment treatmentreduces nociceptive but not neuropathic pain in PPS patients.

Keywords

Post-Polio Syndrome; Pain; Immunoglobulin Treatment

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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