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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

May 6, 20222 min read

Biography published about polio survivor Richmal Crompton

A biography written by Jane McVeigh about the life of polio survivor Richmal Crompton, creator of the Just William series was published in April.

McVeigh is an Honorary Research Fellow at Roehampton University, London and teaches for the Oxford University Department of Continuing Education. She specialises in life writing and twentieth century British women writers. Her most recent work, Richmal Crompton, Author of Just William: A Literary Life was published last month by Palgrave Macmillan.

McVeigh explained what drew her to writing about Richmal Crompton: "I immediately felt a connection, not so much with manuscripts and letters, but with the books in her personal library. It was almost as if they were reaching out to me, and I have felt obligated to write this literary life ever since."

Richmal Crompton is best known for her Just William series of books, about a mischievous 11-year-old schoolboy and his friends, known as "The Outlaws".

Crompton contracted polio in 1923 when she was 32. She was left without the use of her right leg. She retired from teaching and focused on writing. Her William stories sold over twelve million copies in the UK alone.

As part of her research, McVeigh contacted Kripen Dhrona, Chief Executive of the British Polio Fellowship for advice and information on polio and how it effects survivors.

“I was happy to help and offer advice. We had a long chat about the book and what life must have been like for Richmal Crompton with polio. Jane has sent me a copy of the book and I’m looking forward to reading it” commented Dhrona.

Crompton never married or had children. She died in 1969, age 78 after a heart attack.

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