Post Polio Research Paper

Background
The United States was affected with an epidemic of poliomyelitis, also known as polio, in the 1940’s, just as World War II was coming to a close. It was contracted through the poliovirus and spread from person to person. The symptoms could vary in severity. Some infected individuals were asymptomatic where others experienced “extensive paralysis of muscles, and possibly death” (Saxon, p. 18, 2001). Polio reached its peak in 1950. Declines were seen after the introduction of the polio vaccine (Saxon, 2001). Today, polio has been almost completely eradicated in the US. However, we are now seeing the effects of post-polio syndrome. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of polio survivors are now affected by post-polio (Ryan, 2009).
The National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke explains this phenomenon by first looking at how the poliovirus attacks neurons of the brain and spinal cord. Once a connection between the two is lost, movement can be affected and paralysis can occur. In many individuals with polio, they body is able to sprout new nerve terminals as means of compensation, allowing for movement recovery. However, it is thought that after years of use, these new motor neurons become overstressed and begin to deteriorate. This leads to loss of muscle strength seen in those with post-polio. Restoration may occur again, but eventually permanent weakness occurs (Post-polio syndrome (PPS),
Because motor neurons make new connections that slowly deteriorate over time, it makes sense that post-polio “occurs after a delay and has a slow and progressive course” (PPS, 2015). Typically, symptoms of post-polio are seen approximately “35-40 years after the initial infection” (Ryan, p. 2, 2009). After the onset of post-polio, individuals may see partial recovery followed by stability, but will ultimately lead to muscle weakness. Individuals usually live a normal lifespan because post-polio is “rarely life-threatening, but the symptoms can significantly interfere with an individual’s ability to function independently” (PPS, 2015). Post-polio cannot be cured, but symptoms can be managed. The prognosis of post-polio varies. The severity of post-polio “depends on the degree of the residual weakness and disability an individual has after the original polio attack” (PPS, 2015). For example, if the individual was asymptomatic or had very mild symptoms of polio, the effects of post-polio will also be mild. However, if the original case of polio was severely deliberating, the symptoms associated with post-polio will be more severe as well. Similarly, symptoms such as “weakness occur only in muscles originally affected by the poliovirus” (Halbritter, p. 556,