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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. However, the introduction of the inactivated polio vaccine in the 1950s greatly reduced polio's spread.
Today, very few people in developed countries are paralyzed from the polio virus, usually related to a reaction from on...
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Post-polio syndrome only affects people who had polio. Common signs and symptoms of post-polio syndrome include:
Post-polio syndrome progresses slowly in most people. They may experience new signs and symptoms followed by periods of stability.
There are several theories as to what causes post-polio syndrome, but no one knows for sure. When poliovirus infects your body, it affects nerve cells called motor neurons that carry messages (electrical impulses) between your brain and your muscles. Poliovirus particularly affects the motor neurons in the spinal cord. Each motor neuron consists of three basic components: A cell body A major branching fiber (axon) Numerous smaller branching fibers (dendrites) A polio infection oft...
There's no one treatment for the various signs and symptoms of post-polio syndrome. The goal of treatment is to manage your symptoms and help make you as comfortable and independent as possible. Here are some treatment options that may help manage your post-polio syndrome symptoms:
Other possible treatment options may include the anticonvulsant drug gabapentin (Neurontin, Gralise), which is often used to treat nerve pain. Chronic opioid pain medications generally shouldn't be used due to their long-term risks. You an...
For informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
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