Polio/ Post-Polio syndrome 

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. Post-polio syndrome only affects people who have had polio.

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Common signs and symptoms of post-polio syndrome include:

• Muscle and joint weakness and pain that gets worse over time

• Feeling easily fatigued and exhausted

• Losing muscle tissue (atrophy)

• Breathing or swallowing problems

• Sleep-related breathing disorders, such as sleep apnoea

• Decreased tolerance of cold temperatures

Post-polio syndrome progresses slowly in most people. They may experience new signs and symptoms followed by periods of stability.

Risk factors

Factors that can increase your risk of developing post-polio syndrome include:

• Severity of initial polio infection. The more severe the initial infection, the more likely that you'll have signs and symptoms of post-polio syndrome.

• Age at onset of initial illness. If you developed polio as an adolescent or adult rather than as a child, your chances of developing post-polio syndrome increase.

• Recovery. The greater your recovery after acute polio, the more likely it seems that post-polio syndrome will develop. This may be because greater recovery places additional stress on motor neurons.

• Excessive physical activity. If you often exercise to the point of exhaustion or fatigue, you might overwork already stressed-out motor neurons and increase your risk of post-polio syndrome.