Diseases and Conditions
Post-polio syndrome
Overview
Symptoms
Causes
Risk factors
Complications
Diagnosis
Treatment
Lifestyle and home remedies
Coping and support
Preparing for an appointment
Overview
Post-polio syndrome refers to a cluster of potentially disabling signs and symptoms that appear decades — an average of 30 to 40 years — after the initial polio illness.
Polio once resulted in paralysis and death. However, the inactivated polio vaccine greatly reduced polio's spread.
Today, few people in developed countries get paralytic polio, thanks to the vaccine introduced in 1955. However, people who had polio at a young age might get post-polio syndrome.