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WHAT IS POST POLIO SYNDROME

Post Polio Syndrome is a poorly understood condition that can affect people who have had polio in the past.

Polio is a viral infection that used to be common in the UK, but is now rare.

Most people who had Polio would have fought off the infection without even realising they were infected.

Some people with Polio would have had paralysis, muscle weakness and shrinking of the muscles. But usually, these problems would have either gone away over the following weeks or months, or remained the same for years afterwards.

Post Polio Syndrome is where some of these symptoms return or get worse many years or decades after the original polio infection.

SYMPTOMS OF POST POLIO SYNDROME

Post Polio Syndrome can include a wide range of symptoms that develop gradually over time, including:

persistent fatigue (extreme tiredness)
muscle weakness
shrinking muscles
muscle and joint pain
sleep apnoea

The condition can have a significant impact on everyday life, making it very difficult to get around and carry out certain tasks and activities. The symptoms tend to get gradually worse over many years, but this happens very slowly and treatment may help slow it down further.

Post Polio Syndrome is rarely life-threatening, although some people develop breathing and swallowing difficulties that can lead to serious problems, such as chest infections.

WHO'S AFFECTED

Post Polio Syndrome only affects people who've had polio. It usually develops 15 to 40 years after the infection.

The condition has become more common in the UK in recent years, because of the high number of Polio cases that occurred during the 1940s and 1950s, before routine vaccination was introduced. It's estimated that there are around 120,000 people living in the UK who survived Polio when they were younger. Some of these have, or will develop, Post Polio Syndrome.

It's not known exactly how many Polio survivors are or will be affected by Post Polio Syndrome. Estimates vary from as low as 15% to as high as 80%.

WHAT CAUSES POST-POLIO SYNDROME?

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. This would explain why the condition can take years to appear.

Post Polio Syndrome isn't contagious. The theory that the Polio virus may lie dormant in your body, causing Post Polio Syndrome when it becomes reactivated at a later stage, has been disproven.

It's not clear why only some people who've had polio develop Post Polio Syndrome. Those who had severe Polio when they were younger may be more likely to develop the condition.

Contacts us: 0800 043 1935
Email us: info@britishpolio.org.uk

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The British Polio Fellowship

Jul 231 min read

'Amazing' disability campaigner to get blue plaque

A woman who campaigned throughout her life for disability rights will be honoured with a blue plaque.

Mary Elsworth Greaves was born in Newcastle in 1907 and contracted polio as a child, which left her severely disabled.

She played a key role in getting the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 passed into law, which made councils responsible for the welfare and housing of disabled people.

The plaque will be installed on her childhood home at 2 Lish Avenue in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside.

The law also gave disabled people the right to equal access to recreational and educational facilities, along with council-provided transport.

Known for her practical and determined approach, she once stated: "I don't want to sit at home having everyone be nice to me.

"I'd rather go out and do things and have people being nasty to me if they feel so inclined, and then I'll fight back."

Whitley Bay North councillor Joe Kirwin said: "Mary Greaves was an absolutely amazing woman, it is because of people like her that we have the disability allowance and blue parking badges.

"Britain would be a much worse place without the achievements of Mary and her contemporaries.

"They really drove forward how disabled people are seen in our society."

Baroness Joyce Quin, who nominated Mary Greaves for the blue plaque, said: "Her crucial role and achievements need to be highlighted, not forgotten."

Source: BBC News on 18 July 2024

Journalist: Austen Shakespeare, Local Democracy Reporting Service

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