The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #54117

Nancy A. Myers, RN, MEd, CPHQ, Community Health Sciences, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, 4209 State Route 44, Rootstown, OH 44272, 330-325-6185, namyers@neoucom.edu

One of the greatest public health triumphs of the 20th century was the eradication of polio in the U.S. After the epidemics ended, polio survivors were generally able to move on to “normal” lives, achieving higher levels of education, marriage, and employment than their peers. Polio was largely forgotten until the mid 1980s, when physicians began to track degeneration of muscle strength, fatigue, and a renewed reliance on supportive devices (including braces and wheel chairs) among polio survivors. What was initially thought to be the effects of “normal aging” or a host of neurological disorders has now been recognized as a distinct clinical entity: post polio syndrome (PPS). There are an estimated 920,000 polio survivors in the United States; approximately 11% have been diagnosed with PPS. Substantially more survivors indicate that they believe that they are suffering from PPS, but have not been officially diagnosed. There is no test for PPS; it is a diagnosis of exclusion and has often been mistaken for other disorders. It is imperative that public and private health practitioners begin to actively screen clients for PPS in order to insure prompt and effective treatment. While PPS may be a time-limited problem in the U.S. (because polio has been eradicated), lessons learned from this population could be applied to better understanding the pathogenesis and treatment of other related neurologic problems, and can be applied to other populations of the world in whom PPS will be a legacy until at least 2050 (assuming polio eradication in 2005).

Learning Objectives:

• By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
• 1) Describe the symptoms of and clinical diagnostic criteria for post polio syndrome.
• 2) Report the prevalence of this disorder in the U.S.
• 3) Describe basic management guidelines for post polio syndrome.
• 4) Discuss ways in which public and private health practitioners can identify and assist potential post polio syndrome clients or patients.

Keywords: Chronic Illness, Disease Management

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.