Causes And Complications Of Polio

Poliomyelitis is a viral disease that mostly affects children under 5 years, but can also occur in older children. In 90% of cases, it is a mild or asymptomatic disease, which facilitates its transmission among the population. It is essential to administer a vaccine as the only effective method to control and combat the virus. Although it is not very frequent, there may be cases in which the disease severely affects the nervous system and leads to irreversible health problems in the infected person, such as paralysis. If you want to know all the causes and complications of polio, keep reading this Kidsrush.com article.

Steps to follow to know the causes and complications of polio

  1. The Polio is caused by a virus called poliovirus. This virus is spread from person to person through the fecal-oral route. That is, when the feces of an infected patient enter the mouth of another person through contaminated food or water. Poliovirus transmission is also likely to occur through oral contact with the saliva of an infected person.
  2. The moment the virus comes into contact with a healthy patient, it is introduced through the mouth and nose and immediately spreads to the throat and reaches the digestive tract. This is why throat irritation usually occurs, vomiting and nausea, typical symptoms of polio. It quickly spreads in the blood and begins to spread within cells that become infected. Although this normally occurs around the digestive tract, there are also cases in which the virus reaches the nervous system. Being able to cause very serious damage to the nerve cells responsible for the mobility of the muscles.
  3. When polio affects the nervous system, the greatest complications of this disease occur. And is that the destruction of nerve cells will make the muscles not have the ability to perform their function, and may lead to irreversible paralysis. Also, other possible complications of polio in the most severe cases are lung problems, shortness of breath, myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), and urinary infections.
  4. Despite all the above, it should be noted that polio is a disease that can manifest itself in different ways. In most cases, it is a condition with minor symptoms. However, it is always essential to receive medical attention to initiate the appropriate treatment and prevent the disease from worsening.

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