Which organ is affected in polio?

Polio is a viral disease which may affect the spinal cord causing muscle weakness and paralysis. The polio virus enters the body through the mouth, usually from hands contaminated with the stool of an infected person. Polio is more common in infants and young children and occurs under conditions of poor hygiene.

What are the symptoms of post-polio syndrome?

Symptoms of post-polio syndrome

  • persistent fatigue (extreme tiredness)
  • muscle weakness.
  • shrinking muscles.
  • muscle and joint pain.
  • sleep apnoea.

What are 2 disease complications of polio?

Fatigue. Muscle wasting (atrophy) Breathing or swallowing problems. Sleep-related breathing disorders, such as sleep apnea.

Can polio lead to other problems?

muscle fatigue and pain due to reduced muscle tissue. pain, and sleep or breathing problems, from postural abnormalities (such as scoliosis or kyphosis) increased stress on joints, leading to arthritis and pain (this may be worsened by weight gain)

Can polio cause problems later in life?

Post-polio syndrome is rarely life-threatening, but severe muscle weakness can lead to complications: Falls. Weakness in your leg muscles makes it easier for you to lose your balance and fall. You then might break a bone, such as a hip, leading to other complications.

What is the treatment for post-polio syndrome?

There’s currently no cure for post-polio syndrome, so treatment focuses on helping you manage your symptoms and improving your quality of life. People with the condition are often treated by a team of different healthcare professionals working together. This is known as a multidisciplinary team (MDT).

What are long term effects of polio?

The most common long-term problems seen in polio are brace problems, knee recurvatum, increasing weakness due to overuse and ankle equinus. A definite increased incidence of problems is seen after the patient is more than 30 years post-polio.

Can post-polio cause pain?

Muscle and joint pain are also common in post-polio syndrome. Muscle pain is usually felt as a deep ache in the muscles or muscle cramps and spasms. The pain is often worse after you’ve used the affected muscles. It can be particularly troublesome during the evening after a day’s activities.

Is post-polio syndrome a neurological disease?

Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is a neurological condition that affects polio survivors decades after their initial infection.

Is Post Polio an autoimmune disease?

An inflammatory or autoimmune basis to post-polio syndrome has also been proposed. This hypothesis originates from post mortem observations of inflammatory changes in the spinal cord of PPS patients (35, 36). The role of inflammation is also supported by in vivo evidence.

Can polio come back in old age?

Post-polio syndrome is a group of potentially disabling signs and symptoms that appear decades after the initial polio illness. These signs and symptoms usually appear between 30 to 40 years after having polio. Infection from the polio virus once caused paralysis and death.

Is post-polio syndrome an autoimmune disease?