[Sleep apnea syndrome: late sequela of poliomyelitis]

A syndrome of sleep apnoea may appear 15 to 29 years after acute anterior poliomyelitis (PAA). It is generally a mixed syndrome with an association of central type and obstructive apnoea in variable proportions. We report such a case occurring in a patient who had presented 30 years before with PAA, and presenting on this occasion with resting pulmonary artery hypertension, polycythaemia but without disturbance of blood gases. Treatment with positive pressure ventilation was given by the nasal route at 10 cm of water leading to an improvement with a significant decrease in the number and duration of apnoeic episodes and a disappearance of desaturation. The sleep apnoea syndrome (SAS) should be considered as a possible late sequel of PAA.