Question: Often we polio survivors have very few options that are helpful in understanding our circumstances and what direction to take. Thank you for being available to provide this important
service. Here is my question in three parts. When I read The Polio Paradox by Richard L. Bruno, PhD, he assured us that post-polio syndrome (PPS) is not life threatening. Is this still a valid
statement? Is there any evidence to the contrary? Secondly, will the effects intensify and cause weakness to the level that one experienced during acute polio? Also, does PPS affect the brain’s
ability to function normally in speech, sight or thought processes (through stress or brain lesions)? MR. MALIGIA
Answer: There is no evidence that PPS is “directly” life threatening. PPS symptoms can become sufficiently disabling to “indirectly” shorten one’s life, such as by imposing a fearfully sedentary
lifestyle that leads to hypertension, obesity, high cholesterol and heart disease. If severe post-polio breathing and swallowing problems develop and are not treated appropriately, critical life
functions can also be put in jeopardy. A clear answer to your second answer is more difficult. Theoretically, at least, one could again become as weak as one was at the time of initial recovery
from the acute polio infection. In my clinical experience of 25 years, this never happens. While severe worsening may happen TO a post-polio person, it does not result FROM post-polio
syndrome as defined by a consensus statement of medical researchers (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, 1999, Identifying Best Practices in Diagnosis & Care, Warm Springs,
GA: March of Dimes International Conference on Post-Polio Syndrome).
Certainly, PPS will not be more debilitating than acute polio, because it develops slowly and does not suddenly challenge all critical life functions like an acute infection does. Additionally, small changes in motor function can and should be treated with appropriate rehabilitative strategies, such as use of compensatory devices and making activity changes. Last, PPS does not directly affect the brain’s capacity to see, talk or think, but it can at times affect those functions temporarily if its symptoms (such as severe fatigue or pain) are so intense that they overwhelm one’s concentration and/or alertness. When well rested, all brain functions will return to their normal state.
Post-Polio Health (Vol. 25, No. 2, Winter 2009)