What Are The Symptoms Of Polio?

Paralysis

Paralysis is associated with the paralytic form of polio. This form of the condition is the most serious type, and vaccinations have made it very rare in the developed world. Paralytic polio usually begins with a fever, headache, and other symptoms characteristic of non-paralytic polio. Within roughly seven days, patients with this form of the condition will start to show other symptoms. They may have severe muscle aches or muscle weakness, and a loss of reflexes could occur. The limbs on one or both sides of the body might become loose and floppy; this is known as flaccid paralysis. Limb deformities might develop, and these may be especially noticeable in the feet, ankles, and hips. Severe muscle spasms may be present, and the patient might suddenly become paralyzed. The paralysis is often temporary, and permanent paralysis only develops in less than one percent of all cases of polio. In five to ten percent of the polio cases that result in paralysis, the poliovirus attacks the muscles used for breathing, which can be fatal.

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