Find information on thousands of medical conditions and prescription drugs.

Post Polio syndrome

Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is a condition that frequently affects survivors of poliomyelitis, a viral infection of the nervous system, after recovery from an initial paralytic attack of the virus. Typically the symptoms appear 20-40 years after the original infection, at an age of 35 to 60. Symptoms include new or increased muscular weakness, pain in the muscles, and fatigue. more...

Home
Diseases
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Arthritis
Arthritis
Bubonic plague
Hypokalemia
Pachydermoperiostosis
Pachygyria
Pacman syndrome
Paget's disease of bone
Paget's disease of the...
Palmoplantar Keratoderma
Pancreas divisum
Pancreatic cancer
Panhypopituitarism
Panic disorder
Panniculitis
Panophobia
Panthophobia
Papilledema
Paraganglioma
Paramyotonia congenita
Paraphilia
Paraplegia
Parapsoriasis
Parasitophobia
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinsonism
Paroxysmal nocturnal...
Patau syndrome
Patent ductus arteriosus
Pathophobia
Patterson...
Pediculosis
Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease
Pelvic inflammatory disease
Pelvic lipomatosis
Pemphigus
Pemphigus
Pemphigus
Pendred syndrome
Periarteritis nodosa
Perinatal infections
Periodontal disease
Peripartum cardiomyopathy
Peripheral neuropathy
Peritonitis
Periventricular leukomalacia
Pernicious anemia
Perniosis
Persistent sexual arousal...
Pertussis
Pes planus
Peutz-Jeghers syndrome
Peyronie disease
Pfeiffer syndrome
Pharmacophobia
Phenylketonuria
Pheochromocytoma
Photosensitive epilepsy
Pica (disorder)
Pickardt syndrome
Pili multigemini
Pilonidal cyst
Pinta
PIRA
Pityriasis lichenoides...
Pityriasis lichenoides et...
Pityriasis rubra pilaris
Placental abruption
Pleural effusion
Pleurisy
Pleuritis
Plummer-Vinson syndrome
Pneumoconiosis
Pneumocystis jiroveci...
Pneumocystosis
Pneumonia, eosinophilic
Pneumothorax
POEMS syndrome
Poland syndrome
Poliomyelitis
Polyarteritis nodosa
Polyarthritis
Polychondritis
Polycystic kidney disease
Polycystic ovarian syndrome
Polycythemia vera
Polydactyly
Polymyalgia rheumatica
Polymyositis
Polyostotic fibrous...
Pompe's disease
Popliteal pterygium syndrome
Porencephaly
Porphyria
Porphyria cutanea tarda
Portal hypertension
Portal vein thrombosis
Post Polio syndrome
Post-traumatic stress...
Postural hypotension
Potophobia
Poxviridae disease
Prader-Willi syndrome
Precocious puberty
Preeclampsia
Premature aging
Premenstrual dysphoric...
Presbycusis
Primary biliary cirrhosis
Primary ciliary dyskinesia
Primary hyperparathyroidism
Primary lateral sclerosis
Primary progressive aphasia
Primary pulmonary...
Primary sclerosing...
Prinzmetal's variant angina
Proconvertin deficiency,...
Proctitis
Progeria
Progressive external...
Progressive multifocal...
Progressive supranuclear...
Prostatitis
Protein S deficiency
Protein-energy malnutrition
Proteus syndrome
Prune belly syndrome
Pseudocholinesterase...
Pseudogout
Pseudohermaphroditism
Pseudohypoparathyroidism
Pseudomyxoma peritonei
Pseudotumor cerebri
Pseudovaginal...
Pseudoxanthoma elasticum
Psittacosis
Psoriasis
Psychogenic polydipsia
Psychophysiologic Disorders
Pterygium
Ptosis
Pubic lice
Puerperal fever
Pulmonary alveolar...
Pulmonary hypertension
Pulmonary sequestration
Pulmonary valve stenosis
Pulmonic stenosis
Pure red cell aplasia
Purpura
Purpura, Schoenlein-Henoch
Purpura, thrombotic...
Pyelonephritis
Pyoderma gangrenosum
Pyomyositis
Pyrexiophobia
Pyrophobia
Pyropoikilocytosis
Pyrosis
Pyruvate kinase deficiency
Uveitis
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Medicines

Post-polio patients are also often noted to have memory problems, various cognitive difficulties, and an increased sensitivity to anesthetics. Weight gain is also a frequently noted symptom, though it's hard to tell if this is due to the disorder directly or due to the decreased level of physical activity that usually accompanies the disorder.

Fatigue is often the most disabling symptom, as often even slight exertion can produce disabling fatigue and also increase other symptoms.

Diagnosis of post-polio syndrome can be difficult, since the symptoms are hard to separate from the original symptoms of polio and from the normal infirmities of aging. There is no laboratory test for post-polio syndrome, nor is there any other specific diagnostic, so diagnosis is usually a "diagnosis of exclusion" where other possible causes of the symptoms are eliminated.

The precise mechanism that causes post-polio syndrome is unknown. It shares many features in common with myalgic encephalitis, a form of chronic fatigue syndrome that is apparently caused by viral infections, but unlike those disorders it tends to be progressive, and can cause tangible loss of muscle strength.

One theory of the mechanism behind the disorder is that it is due to "neural fatigue" from overworked neurons. The original polio infection generally results in the death of a substantial fraction of the motor neurons controlling skeletal muscles, and the theory is that the remaining neurons are thus overworked and eventually wear out.

Another theory holds that the original viral infection damages portions of the lower brain, possibly including the thalamus and hypothalamus. This somehow upsets the hormones that control muscle metabolism, and the result is a metabolic disorder similar to mitochondrial disorder that causes muscle pain and injury (via rhabdomyolysis) and also causes the fatigue.

Treatment generally is limited to supportive measures, primarily leg braces and energy-saving devices such as powered wheelchairs, plus pain relievers, sleep aids, etc. However, some post-polio patients claim to have found significant relief using large amounts of various food supplements, primarily L-carnitine, CoQ10, and d-ribose.

Diagnosis

Doctors arrive at a diagnosis of PPS by observing the patient and asking about symptoms, and by excluding other disorders. PPS may be difficult to diagnose in some because it is hard to determine what component of a neuromuscular deficit is old and what is new. Health professionals say that the only way to be sure a person has PPS is through a neurological examination aided by other laboratory studies that exclude all other possible diagnoses. Patients must visit the doctor periodically to establish that their muscle weakness is progressive.

Read more at Wikipedia.org


[List your site here Free!]


Bi-level positive airway pressure ventilation maintains adequate ventilation in post-polio patients requiring home mechanical ventilation
From CHEST, 10/1/05 by Caroline Haegerstrand

PURPOSE: Patients suffering from post-polio syndrome still contribute significantly to the number of patients with chronic respiratory failure requiring home mechanical ventilation (HMV). This group of patients are commonly treated with controlled mechanical ventilation (CMV). We have previously shown that invasive bi-level positive airway pressure ventilation (BiPAP[R]) decreases the work of breathing (WOB) in tracheostomized post-polio patients as compared to CMV. The aim of this study was to evaluate if adequate ventilation was maintained in post-polio patients when using BiPAP[R].

METHODS: Eight post-polio patients on nocturnal CMV were investigated. Five of them are tracheostomized and three of them use a nasal mask. WOB was analyzed by assessing differences in oxygen consumption (VO2) using indirect calorimetry. Bloodgases were obtained regularly to assess pCO2. The minute volume (MV) was measured and compared to the patients normal MV before each assay.

RESULTS: Using BIPAP[R] ventilation there was a significant decrease in the oxygen cost of breathing as compared to CMV and spontaneous breathing. Furthermore, the pCO2 values measured indicated that the ventilation was maintained.

CONCLUSION: Invasive BIPAP[R] ventilation maintains an adequate ventilation and reduces the oxygen cost of breathing in post-polio patients on HMV.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: BIPAP[R] ventilation may be considered an alternative to CMV in post-polio patients requiring HMV.

DISCLOSURE: Caroline Haegerstrand, None.

Caroline Haegerstrand PhD * Agneta Markstrom PhD Pia Soderberg MD Hans Barle PhD Dept of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Danderyd, Sweden

COPYRIGHT 2005 American College of Chest Physicians
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group

Return to Post Polio syndrome
Home Contact Resources Exchange Links ebay