PPS Post-Polio Syndrome

In paralytic polio, if the virus damages but does not destroy infected nerve cells, muscular control and movement can be fully or partially regained in a recovery process that might last up to six months. Even for survivors of paralytic polio, however, further complications may arise over time.

Thirty or more years after their original infection, an estimated 20 to 40 percent of the approximately 640,000 U.S. polio survivors now grapple with post-polio syndrome (PPS). Many experience fatigue, muscle pain, and loss of muscular function. Some experience difficulty swallowing and suffer from muscle twitches and other symptoms.

PPS is not life threatening, but it can limit a patient’s lifestyle and mobility. The exact cause of the syndrome is not known. Many scientists suspect that, following the initial infection and paralysis, the body’s surviving nerve cells in affected areas create new connections to muscle tissue to compensate for destroyed cells.

Evidence suggests that in individuals who develop PPS, these overworked connections wear out.