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WHAT IS POST POLIO SYNDROME

Post Polio Syndrome is a poorly understood condition that can affect people who have had polio in the past.

Polio is a viral infection that used to be common in the UK, but is now rare.

Most people who had Polio would have fought off the infection without even realising they were infected.

Some people with Polio would have had paralysis, muscle weakness and shrinking of the muscles. But usually, these problems would have either gone away over the following weeks or months, or remained the same for years afterwards.

Post Polio Syndrome is where some of these symptoms return or get worse many years or decades after the original polio infection.

SYMPTOMS OF POST POLIO SYNDROME

Post Polio Syndrome can include a wide range of symptoms that develop gradually over time, including:

persistent fatigue (extreme tiredness)
muscle weakness
shrinking muscles
muscle and joint pain
sleep apnoea

The condition can have a significant impact on everyday life, making it very difficult to get around and carry out certain tasks and activities. The symptoms tend to get gradually worse over many years, but this happens very slowly and treatment may help slow it down further.

Post Polio Syndrome is rarely life-threatening, although some people develop breathing and swallowing difficulties that can lead to serious problems, such as chest infections.

WHO'S AFFECTED

Post Polio Syndrome only affects people who've had polio. It usually develops 15 to 40 years after the infection.

The condition has become more common in the UK in recent years, because of the high number of Polio cases that occurred during the 1940s and 1950s, before routine vaccination was introduced. It's estimated that there are around 120,000 people living in the UK who survived Polio when they were younger. Some of these have, or will develop, Post Polio Syndrome.

It's not known exactly how many Polio survivors are or will be affected by Post Polio Syndrome. Estimates vary from as low as 15% to as high as 80%.

WHAT CAUSES POST-POLIO SYNDROME?

The exact cause of post Polio Syndrome is unclear. It's not known whether anything can be done to prevent it.

The leading theory is that it's the result of the gradual deterioration of nerve cells in the spinal cord (motor neurones) that were damaged by the Polio virus. This would explain why the condition can take years to appear.

Post Polio Syndrome isn't contagious. The theory that the Polio virus may lie dormant in your body, causing Post Polio Syndrome when it becomes reactivated at a later stage, has been disproven.

It's not clear why only some people who've had polio develop Post Polio Syndrome. Those who had severe Polio when they were younger may be more likely to develop the condition.

Contacts us: 0800 043 1935
Email us: info@britishpolio.org.uk

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The British Polio Fellowship
- Mar 19
- 2 min read

Polio survivors enjoy a weekend of sports and games

Last weekend (15-17 March) around 120 polio survivors met in Leicester to compete in a range of games and sports, in spite of their physical disabilities.

This years' British Polio Fellowship’s National Indoor Games event took place at the Marriott Hotel in Leicester. Qualifiers from regional heats across the country competed on Saturday for individual and team success in a variety of disciplines, such as Scrabble, Darts Standing, Darts Sitting, Draughts, Fives and Threes, Dominoes, Cribbage, Bowls, Boccia and Kurling.

Later in the afternoon, everyone attended a quiz to stimulate the brain cells and then tried some of the sports and games that were available, to encourage people to try new activities and have fun.

The weekend ended with a Gala Dinner and awards presentation to celebrate this years' winners (listed below). The award for the highest scoring region went, for the eighth year running to the North West Region.

SCRABBLE

Placida Ojinnaka (Home Counties North)
Helen Granger (South of England)
Linda Evers (Yorkshire)

DARTS STANDING

David Howells (Yorkshire)
Dennis Tilley (Western)
Howard Parker (North West)

DARTS SITTING

Thomas Maddocks (North West)
Stewart Thompson (Scotland)
Maria Gomez-Santos (Home Counties North)

DOMINOES

Albert Bryant and Harold Jackson (North West)
June Page and Glyn Lloyd (Western)
Frances Craig and James Forret (Scotland)

5S & 3S

Alison Forret and Helen Douglas (Scotland)
Ann Kay (Yorkshire) and Daxa Gandecha (Home Counties North)
Ian Grant and David Mitchell (East Midlands)

DRAUGHTS

Andy Gilliland (North West)
Barry Gower (North of England)
Frances Kelly (Scotland)

CRIBBAGE

David Leeks (South of England)
Peter Kelly (Scotland)
Charles Raymond (Home Counties)

BOWLS

Mike Griffiths (North West)
Rita Perry (Yorkshire)
Joyce Mallaburn (North of England)

BOCCIA CLASS 1

Trevor Rennie (East Midlands)
Philip Roberts (North West)
John Fisher (South of England)

BOCCIA CLASS 2

Anna Tizzard (Scotland)
Frank Evers (Yorkshire)
Linda Morton (North West)

KURLING

Dave Clark (North West)
Pat Leyden (Scotland)
David Williams (East Midlands)

TOP REGION

North West
Scotland
Yorkshire

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