There's no specific test to diagnose post-polio syndrome. Diagnosis is based on a medical history and physical exam, and exclusion of other conditions that could cause the signs and symptoms.
What is post-polio syndrome? 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.
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.
Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is a neurological condition that affects polio survivors decades after their initial infection.
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.
There's currently no cure for post-polio syndrome (PPS), 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.
It is not known why some persons develop this syndrome and others do not. One possibility is that polio caused subclinical damage to the motor cortex. Autopsies in some polio patients have found damage to the brainstem and motor cortex as well as to spinal motor neurons.
Outlook. In most cases, post-polio syndrome life expectancy is good. PPS is rarely life-threatening, though symptoms can vary from mild to severe.