Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is a condition that can affect polio survivors decades after they recover from their initial poliovirus infection. Unlike poliovirus, PPS is not contagious.
Polio, or poliomyelitis, is an infectious viral disease that can strike at any age and affects a person's nervous system. Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is a non-contagious condition that can affect polio survivors usually 15 to 40 years after recovery from polio. Only a polio survivor can develop PPS, it is not contagious.
Most PPS patients who participated in research studies have lived with PPS for over 13 years suggesting that PPS is a relatively slowly progressive condition.
Related Disorders It is characterized by the progressive degeneration and eventual death of nerve cells (motor neurons) in the brain, brainstem and spinal cord that facilitate communication between the nervous system and voluntary muscles of the body.
There are three wild types of poliovirus (WPV) – type 1, type 2, and type 3. People need to be protected against all three types of the virus in order to prevent polio disease and the polio vaccination is the best protection.
The exact cause of post-polio syndrome is unclear. It's not known whether anything can be done to prevent it. The leading theory is that it's the result of the gradual deterioration of nerve cells in the spinal cord (motor neurones) that were damaged by the polio virus.
In addition to physical incapacitation, the fatigue of PPS also affects mental function. The term "brain fatigue" is usually used by patients to express problems on the areas of attention, concentration, memory and clear thinking. Unfortunately, little is known about cognitive fatigue of PPS patients.
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.
The speech pathologist concluded the hoarseness was due to fatigued abdominal muscles weakened from post-polio syndrome. Physical therapy for abdominal and core strengthening and speech therapy for energy conservation techniques were implemented with discemable improvement of voice function.
Outlook. In most cases, post-polio syndrome life expectancy is good. PPS is rarely life-threatening, though symptoms can vary from mild to severe.