Case Reports (Jul 2018)

Post-polio syndrome, report of two cases

  • Luisa Fernanda Zúñiga-Cerón,
  • Jhan Sebastián Saavedra-Torres,
  • Tomás Omar Zamora-Bastidas,
  • María Virginia Pinzón-Fernández

DOI
https://doi.org/10.15446/cr.v4n2.68235
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 4, no. 2
pp. 145 – 154

Abstract

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Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is a neurological syndrome that appears decades after an acute episode of polio. This condition decreases functional capacity until completing affecting daily activities. This event occurs in 20-80% of the people who were affected by the polio virus. It is more frequent in women and a direct correlation between the risk of developing this syndrome and the severity of the sequelae of polio has been reported. The objective of this article is to present two clinical cases of patients who developed post-polio syndrome approximately forty years after the initial infection. This article seeks to question the concept of polio as a static disease, since it is a process difficult to diagnose and treat, as in both cases presented here. The psychological and functional impact of this disease on patients is regarded as a challenge for the health professional, since clinical needs must be identified and current barriers care reduced.

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