What is childhood paralysis like?

Many children have contracted polio without their parents realizing it. This results in the child's illness not being treated in time. The longer it is delayed, the more serious the condition becomes, and eventually the child becomes paralyzed. Therefore, parents must understand the specific symptoms of polio in advance, such as children drooling for no reason. This will reduce the possibility of the child's illness being delayed. So what does polio look like?

(1) Latent infection (asymptomatic): accounts for 90% of all infections. No symptoms appear after infection, and the virus reproduces only in the digestive tract, without producing viremia or penetrating the central nervous system. However, the virus can be isolated from the pharynx and feces, and specific neutralizing antibodies can be detected in the body.

(ii) Abortive type (mild): accounts for about 4%, the virus invades non-neural tissues throughout the body. The clinical symptoms lack specificity and may include symptoms of upper respiratory tract inflammation, such as fever of varying degrees, pharyngeal discomfort, pharyngeal congestion and hyperplasia of the posterior pharyngeal wall lymphoid tissue, swollen tonsils, etc.; gastrointestinal symptoms, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, abdominal discomfort, etc.; flu-like symptoms, joint and muscle aches, etc. Symptoms last for 1 to 3 days and then recover on their own.

(III) Non-paralytic type: The polio virus invades the central nervous system and the circulating nerve fibers spread throughout the body. Symptoms of this stage may appear at the beginning of the disease, but most patients may be asymptomatic or have reduced symptoms for 1 to 6 days after the prodromal period and then enter this stage.

(IV) Paralytic type: accounts for about 1% of the infected people. It is characterized by lesions involving the gray matter of the anterior horn of the spinal cord, the brain and cranial nerves, leading to muscle paralysis, in addition to the clinical manifestations of the non-paralytic type.

If you are diagnosed with polio in your future life, you must pay attention to early detection and early treatment.

Sequelae:

1. Water and electrolyte imbalance: Patients with respiratory muscle paralysis are prone to water and electrolyte imbalance when using artificial respirators for a long time. High fever, sweating, vomiting, diarrhea, inability to eat and changes in blood gas can all cause serious biochemical disorders. Excessive fluid replacement can cause edema and hyponatremia.

2. Myocarditis: The virus can directly invade the myocardium, causing changes in the electrocardiogram T wave, ST segment and PR interval, which occurs in 10% to 20% of cases.

3. Hypertension: It can be caused by the following factors: ① Lack of oxygen. ② Due to the involvement of the hypothalamus, persistent hypertension occurs, which in turn causes retinopathy, convulsions and changes in consciousness.

4. Pulmonary edema and shock: The pathogenesis is unclear and it is common in the final stages of death.

5. Digestive tract perforation and bleeding: Acute dilatation of the stomach and duodenum, cecal perforation, acute ulcers of the duodenum, stomach and esophagus, multiple erosions of the entire gastrointestinal tract accompanied by massive bleeding and intestinal paralysis have been observed.

6. Atelectasis and pneumonia: common in severe bulbar palsy (affecting the IX and X cranial nerves) or bulbar spinal palsy leading to paralysis of respiratory muscles or swallowing muscles, which may be aggravated by tracheotomy. Common pathogens are Staphylococcus aureus or Gram-negative bacteria, which are often resistant to commonly used antibiotics and chemical prevention is ineffective.

7. Urinary tract infection: It is often related to indwelling urinary catheter, and chemotherapy and tidal drainage are usually ineffective. Long-term bed rest and calcium mobilization often lead to kidney stones and infections. Drinking more water, limiting calcium-containing foods, acidifying urine, using salicylic acid preparations, and early mobilization can reduce the incidence of stones.

8. Arthritis: During the recovery period of paralysis cases, a syndrome similar to rheumatoid arthritis may occur, manifested by redness, swelling, pain and tenderness of large joints.