Causes and treatment of post-poliomyelitis syndrome

Some children will suffer from a disease called poliomyelitis after birth. This disease is caused by a virus and can cause substantial damage to the body's bones and spinal cord. Therefore, there will still be certain sequelae after recovery from polio. The sequelae of polio may cause muscle atrophy or mobility difficulties in children.

1. Causes of post-poliomyelitis sequelae

Poliovirus infection.

After the onset of the disease, the virus mainly invades the motor nerves in the gray matter of the spinal cord, causing necrosis of nerve cells in the central area and inflammatory infiltration and edema around the central area, leading to paralysis of the corresponding peripheral nerves. In severe cases, the child dies in the acute phase; in milder cases, the child may suffer from deformities of the trunk and limbs, so it is called sequelae of infantile paralysis.

2. General treatment of post-poliomyelitis sequelae

1. Prevent deformity, promote muscle recovery and adapt to rehabilitation treatment after paralysis, and provide treatment according to different focuses and requirements at different stages.

2. Treatment during the sequelae period (two years later) is continued functional training, stent protection and appropriate surgical treatment (such as soft tissue surgery, tendon transfer, bone surgery, etc.).

3. Dietary principles for post-poliomyelitis sequelae

The patient's diet should be given according to the doctor's instructions. The diet should be started with soft and thin food and then other foods can be added after the body gradually adapts to it. Care should be taken not to eat too much oil, and a reasonable combination of sugar, fat, protein, minerals, vitamins and other foods should be made. Patients should choose high-protein, high-vitamin and easily digestible foods. Through reasonable nutritional matching and proper cooking, the patient's appetite can be improved as much as possible so that the nutrition and energy in the patient's diet can meet the body's needs.

4. Post-poliomyelitis complications

The clinical manifestations of post-poliomyelitis sequelae are basically similar to those of congenital and postural deformities. The difference is that the former is a neurogenic muscle force imbalance that leads to bone or joint deformities, and the paralyzed muscles are irreversible lesions. The latter is due to congenital bone deformity or incorrect posture, which causes temporary disappearance of certain muscle functions due to passive traction. It is non-neurogenic and the muscle function can be restored after the deformity is corrected, so it is reversible. The common paralyzed muscles in post-poliomyelitis sequelae include the anterior and posterior tibialis muscles, peroneus longus and brevis muscles, quadriceps femoris, tensor fasciae latae and gluteal muscles. It rarely occurs in the upper limbs, with deltoid muscle paralysis being the most common. Paralysis of the peripheral muscles of the spine is even less common. Common deformities include equinus, valgus, pes cavus, calf toes, and claw toes of the feet; genu valgus, genu recurvatum, and hip flexion, abduction, and external rotation; loss of upper limb abduction function, and elbow deformities are less common. The main symptom of the spine is scoliosis.