Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is a condition that affects polio survivors years
after recovery from an initial acute attack of the poliomyelitis virus.
Post-polio syndrome is mainly characterized by new weakening in muscles that were previously
affected by the polio infection and in muscles that seemingly were unaffected.
What are the symptoms of post-polio syndrome?
Symptoms include slowly progressive muscle weakness, unaccustomed fatigue (both
generalized and muscular), and, at times, muscle atrophy. Pain from
joint degeneration and increasing skeletal deformities such as scoliosis are
common. Some patients experience only minor symptoms. While less common, others
may develop visible muscle atrophy, or wasting.
Post-polio syndrome is rarely life-threatening. However, untreated
respiratory muscle weakness can result in underventilation, and weakness in
swallowing muscles can result in aspiration pneumonia.
The severity of residual weakness and disability after acute poliomyelitis
tends to predict the development of post-polio syndrome. Patients who had minimal symptoms from
the original illness will most likely experience only mild post-polio syndrome symptoms. People
originally hit hard by the poliovirus and who attained a greater recovery may
develop a more severe case of post-polio syndrome with a greater loss of muscle function and
more severe fatigue. It should be noted that many polio survivors were too young
to remember the severity of their original illness and that accurate memory
fades over time.
According to estimates by the National Center for Health Statistics, more
than 440,000 polio survivors in the United States may be at risk for post-polio syndrome.
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.
Patients diagnosed with post-polio syndrome sometimes are concerned that they are having
polio again and are contagious to others. Studies have shown that this does not
happen.
Pneumonia is inflammation of one or both lungs with consolidation. Pneumonia is frequently but not always due to infection. The infection may be bacterial, viral, fungal or parasitic. Symptoms may include fever, chills, cough with sputum production, chest pain, and shortness of breath.
Osteoarthritis is a type of arthritis caused by inflammation, breakdown, and eventual loss of
cartilage in the joints. Also known as degenerative arthritis. Osteoarthritis
can be caused by aging, heredity, and injury from trauma or disease.
Depression is an illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts and affects the way a person eats and sleeps, the way one feels about oneself, and the way one thinks about things. The principal types of depression are major depression, dysthymia, and bipolar disease (also called manic-depressive disease).
Learn about osteoporosis, a condition characterized by the loss of bone density, which leads to an increased risk of bone fracture. Unless one experiences a fracture, a person may have osteoporosis for decades without knowing it. Treatment for osteoporosis may involve medications that stop bone loss and increase bone strength and bone formation, as well as quitting smoking, regular exercise, cutting back on alcohol intake, and eating a calcium- and vitamin D-rich balanced diet.
Scoliosis causes an abnormal curvature of the spine. When the cause of scoliosis is unknown the disorder is described based on the age when the scoliosis develops (infantile, juvenile, or adolescent idiopathic scoliosis). In functional scoliosis, curvature develops due to a problem somewhere else in the body. With neuromuscular scoliosis, there is a problem when the bones of the spine are formed. Treatment typically involves observation, bracing, and surgery and is dependent upon the severity of the curvature.
Smoking is an addiction. More than 430,000 deaths occur each year in the U.S. from smoking related illnesses. Secondhand smoke or "passive smoke" also harm family members, coworkers, and others around smokers. There are a number of techniques available to assist people who want to quit smoking.
Rotator cuff disease is damage to any of the four tendons that stabilize the shoulder joint. Shoulder pain and tenderness are common symptoms. Rotator cuff disease treatment depends on the severity of the shoulder injury.
Insomnia is difficulty in falling or staying asleep, the absence of restful sleep, or poor quality of sleep. Insomnia is a symptom and not a disease. The most common causes of insomnia are medications, psychological conditions, environmental changes and stressful events. Treatments may include non-drug treatments, over-the-counter medicines, and/or prescription medications.
Regular physical activity can reduce the risk of disease. Regular exercise can also reduce the symptoms of stress and anxiety. There are fitness programs that fit any age or lifestyle.
A Pap smear (also known as the Pap test) is a medical procedure in which a
sample of cells from a woman's cervix (the end of the uterus that extends into
the vagina) is collected
and spread (smeared) on a microscope slide. The cells
are examined under a microscope in order to look for pre-malignant
(before-cancer) or malignant (cancer) changes.
A Pap smear is a simple, quick, and relatively painless screening test. Its
specificity - which means its ability to avoid classifying a normal smear as
abnormal (a "false positive" result) - while very good, is not
perfect. The sensitivity of a Pap smear - which means its ability to detect
every single abnormality -- while good, is also not perfect, and some "false
negative" results (in which abnormalities are present but not detected by the
test) will occur. Thus, a few women develop cervical cancer despite having regular Pap screening.
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