Polio symptoms

In recent years, people have found that the incidence of polio is getting higher and higher. Although experts are working hard to study ways to conquer this disease, the results are not ideal. Polio is common in children under the age of five. According to experts, bacterial and viral infections are common causes of polio symptoms.

Although experts have not yet fully developed a cure for this disease, they have achieved certain results. They have studied some of the symptoms and causes of polio and prescribed the right medicine. Although the occurrence of sequelae cannot be avoided, it has brought hope to many patients. Let us understand the various clinical symptoms of polio.

Clinically, it is generally divided into four stages.

1. The average incubation period is 7 to 14 days, with the shortest being 2 to 3 days and the longest being 3 to 5 weeks. There are generally no obvious symptoms during this period and it is a latent case, but it is contagious at the end of this period.

2. There are three stages of development of the disease.

(1) The first stage - the prodromal stage: During this stage, the patient has a low or moderate fever, often accompanied by symptoms such as headache, drowsiness, sweating, and general fatigue and discomfort. They may also experience gastrointestinal symptoms such as loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation, and even respiratory symptoms such as sore throat, red throat, and mild cough. This period usually lasts 1 to 4 days. Most cases develop to this stage and are of the frustrated type, also known as the lucky type.

(2) The second stage - the pre-paralysis stage: Based on the previous stage, the child's body temperature returns to normal and general symptoms disappear, but after 1 to 3 days the body temperature rises again and is relatively high, usually between 38 and 39°C, and in some children it can be as high as 40°C. At this time, the general symptoms also become more severe. The child is irritable and has headache, vomiting, drowsiness, limb pain and hyperesthesia. There may be myotonia on the back of the neck, and the fontanelle of infants and young children may be tense and full, and the "spinal cord sign" may appear, which is meaningful for diagnosis. This period usually lasts 3 to 5 days, but it can be as short as a few hours or as long as 2 to 3 weeks. During this stage, some cases may still not experience limb paralysis and gradually recover. These are called non-paralysis cases and are also lucky. For another group of children, the condition continues to progress and they enter the paralysis stage.

(3) The third stage - paralysis stage: This stage usually begins on the 3rd to 4th day of the pre-paralysis stage. About 5% of cases enter this stage directly without going through the pre-paralysis stage. Paralysis symptoms often occur when the temperature drops, but some may occur after the fever subsides. It often starts with limb pain and muscle tenderness, followed by sudden paralysis. Paralysis can occur anywhere, but limb paralysis is most common.

3. Recovery period: General symptoms disappear, fever drops to normal, and paralysis signs no longer progress. This stage usually begins 1 to 2 weeks after the onset of paralysis symptoms. Recovery is faster in the first 6 months, then gradually slows down, and the possibility of recovery becomes increasingly smaller after 2 years.

4. Sequelae stage: Patients with a disease course of more than 2 years enter the sequelae stage. During this period, various deformities gradually appear, become increasingly severe, and tend to become fixed; at the same time, secondary changes occur in various bones and joints, which aggravate the degree of functional impairment and often bring difficulties to treatment. Therefore, taking positive and effective measures at an early stage is an important part of preventing the occurrence of deformities and reducing the severity of deformities. The causes of deformity are mainly due to the following factors.

(1) Imbalance in muscle strength: This is the most important factor causing deformity. When one group of muscles is paralyzed and the opposing muscle group is normal or relatively strong, the limb may be pulled toward the stronger side and gradually develop deformity. For example, when the inversion muscles of the foot are paralyzed, the eversion muscles become stronger, causing the ankle joint to be in an everted state. Over time, foot valgus deformity will form and become increasingly serious as the child grows and walks.

(2) Muscle spasms: In the early stages of paralysis (about one month after onset), muscle spasms may occur, gradually leading to deformities. The deformity may also continue to exist due to shortening of spastic muscles. For example, in the early stages of paralysis, the calf gastrocnemius muscle spasms and gradually shortens, causing drop foot where the heel does not touch the ground.

(3) Gravity: The weight of various parts of the body and certain habitual postures can induce various deformities, all of which are related to the effects of gravity. For example, the common foot drop deformity is caused by paralysis and shortening of muscles after spasm, coupled with the effect of gravity.

(4) Other factors: There are many other factors, including trauma, delayed diagnosis and treatment, and improper treatment, which can cause or aggravate deformities.

Through the above understanding, we know a lot about polio. In daily life, what we need to do is to actively prevent the occurrence of the disease, take protective measures, teach children to pay attention to personal hygiene, and develop good habits of washing hands before meals and after defecation, so that we can have a healthy body.