Polio is caused by a virus that attacks nerve cells, killing them and depriving muscles of their innervation. The result can be weakened or paralyzed muscles, often in the arms or legs and sometimes in the diaphragm, causing breathing problems....
Post-polio syndrome causes new symptoms in polio survivors years after they recover from the poliomyelitis virus. These individuals notice new weakness in muscles, both in muscles that were previously affected and in those that apparently were...
Effective vaccines for the polio virus were introduced in the United States in 1955, ending national polio epidemics. A 2006 report prepared for the Post-Polio Health International organization estimated that 426,000 Americans are polio survivors....
Post-polio syndrome occurs years after a patient has been affected by the polio virus. Common symptoms of this condition include muscle weakness, tiredness and muscle atrophy. Symptoms may worsen if you do not use the muscles affected by...
Polio was responsible for large epidemics in the U.S. during the 1940s and 1950s. The disease is caused by the poliovirus, which attacks nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain stem that control muscle movement. Although the disease largely...
Polio is a disease caused by a virus that attacks cells in the central nervous system, often causing muscle paralysis. The disease was responsible for epidemics in America in the 1940s and early 1950s, when a successful polio vaccine was developed...
From 1916 to 1955, an epidemic of the polio virus, or poliomyelitis, occurred in the United States. Twenty to 30 years later, some polio survivors began experiencing a cluster of symptoms, such as new and increased muscle weakness, fatigue and...
Polio is caused by a virus that attacks nerve cells and sometimes produces muscle paralysis. It was once a common disease that reached a peak in the 1950s, according to MayoClinic.com. Vaccines were developed that are very effective, and few...
The conventional wisdom that exercise increases strength is not always true for polio survivors. Polio damages the motor neurons that trigger muscle fibers to contract, and exercise can cause those weakened neurons and muscles to fail in people...
Post polio syndrome affects people who survived polio infections many years ago. Post-polio affects each person differently, but common problems include muscle fatigue and loss of stamina. You may experience muscle and joint pain, or have trouble...
According to The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, motor neuron diseases are a group of progressive neurological disorders that destroy cells that control muscle activity, including speaking, walking, breathing, and...
Polio is a viral disease that affects the nervous system, destroying nerve cells and often producing weakened or paralyzed muscles. Sometimes, people who had polio many years ago develop post-polio syndrome, which involves new changes in muscles....
Post-polio syndrome can strike polio survivors in the later years of life. The syndrome is characterized by a gradual weakening of polio-stricken muscles, along with muscle wasting and fatigue. Post-polio syndrome can also impact muscles that had...
Post-polio syndrome, or PPS, is a medical condition that sometimes occurs later in the lives of people who survived polio in their younger years. Muscle atrophy, weakness and generalized fatigue are symptoms of PPS. The syndrome can become...
Exercise is important for just about everyone. Those who are now experiencing the residual muscle weakness and muscle atrophy of post-polio syndrome are no exception. The National Center on Physical Activity and Disability defines exercise as...
Polio is a contagious viral illness that sometimes causes paralysis. Learn what it is like to live with polio from a patient in this disease condition video.
Polio is a contagious viral illness that sometimes causes paralysis. Learn what it is like to live with polio from a patient in this disease condition video.