Remembering Polio

The very word, POLIO (poliomyelitis or infantile paralysis) brings back horrific memories to anyone who lived during the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s polio epidemics.

We all have just experienced the fear caused by the threat of the H1N1 flu epidemic this past year. Many Americans were stricken with the flu and many individuals succumbed to the virus, but these numbers pale in comparison to the polio epidemics during the 1940s to early 1960s.

Many millions contracted polio during those years. It is estimated that there are still nearly TWO MILLION North Americans alive today and 12-20 MILLION others living elsewhere in the world who had polio during the epidemics of those years.

These survivors are not necessarily alive and well. They may have survived the initial attack of the disease, but thousands are still suffering from a condition known as post-polio syndrome or PPS.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, "More than 440,000 polio survivors in the United States may be at risk for PPS. Researchers are unable to establish a firm prevalence rate, but they estimate that the condition affects 25 percent to 50 percent of these survivors, or possibly as many as 60 percent, depending on how the disorder is defined and which study is quoted."

PPS is a syndrome that affects survivors of polio some 20-40 years after their recovery from the initial attack of the poliomyelitis virus.

The main characteristic of PPS is a new weakness in the muscles that were previously affected years earlier, and a new weakening in muscles that seemingly were unaffected in their original attack of polio. This weakness slowly progresses, along with severe fatigue/exhaustion (general and muscular) and sometimes, atrophy, a wasting away of muscle mass.

Other symptoms include pain in the muscles and joints from joint degeneration and increasing skeletal deformities (scoliosis), muscle twitching, gastrointestinal problems, sleep disorders, breathing or swallowing problems and the inability to tolerate cold temperatures.

Some individuals experience only minor symptoms, while others develop visible muscle atrophy with severe pain and immobility. PPS symptoms usually appear gradually, over a period of years, but in some cases the onset is abrupt and causes the individual to lose function quickly, many times within a few months.

Complications of PPS can include other, more severe conditions as well. Neuropathies and nerve entrapments can occur as can arthritis, scoliosis, osteoporosis and increased wasting of muscles, known as post-polio muscular atrophy (PPMA).

As a general rule, those who were most affected by the initial onset of the polio virus and had made the best recovery tend to suffer the worst PPS symptoms years after the acute attack.

No real cause of PPS is known, but the onset of symptoms seem to occur after a physical or emotional trauma, illness or accident. Also, it has been documented that the 'more driven' polio survivors tend to have more PPS symptoms.

Patients diagnosed with PPS sometimes are concerned that they are getting polio again and are contagious to others. Studies have shown that this does not happen.

Sources:

www.mayoclinic.com/health/polio/DS00572

www.ninds.nih.gov