Contents
What is polio
Poliomyelitis is an acute infectious disease that affects the nervous system, causing paralysis, impaired respiratory function, often leading to disability and even death. Poliomyelitis is caused by a virus from the picornavirus family (these are tiny enteroviruses containing RNA). Currently, poliomyelitis (especially in adults) is quite rare, since most Russians were vaccinated against it in childhood, and the vaccine is a reliable prevention of the disease.
Causes of polio in adults
The virus enters the human body through the nasopharynx, and is based and multiplies already in the intestines. Thus, polio can be contracted in three ways: airborne (when talking, sneezing, coughing), oral-fecal (“unwashed hands disease”) and airborne dust. The source of infection is always a person – a sick person or just a carrier.
Poliomyelitis is equally common in both men and women, but most often in young children. At the same time, there are risk factors for the disease: pregnancy, operations on the nasopharynx, weakened immunity.
Symptoms of polio in adults
Symptoms of poliomyelitis in adults depend on the type of disease and its stage.
Non-paralytic poliomyelitis. With this variety, the temperature rises to 37 – 37,5 ° C, headache, weakness, and malaise occur. There are also symptoms resembling SARS: cough, runny nose, pain and sore throat, sometimes abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea join. Symptoms usually resolve completely in 5 to 7 days.
Менингиальнай полиомиелит. It usually begins acutely: the temperature jumps sharply to 38 – 39 ° C (after 1 – 3 days the temperature decreases, and then rises again), a runny nose, sore throat appear. After a few days, the nervous system begins to suffer: a person becomes lethargic, drowsy, complains of a severe headache and vomiting. The doctor may note the following meningeal symptoms: stiffness (strong tension) of the occipital muscles, Kerning’s symptom (strong muscle tension in the knee and hip joints).
Paralytic poliomyelitis. Here, doctors distinguish 4 periods of the disease:
- preparalytic;
- паралитический;
- restorative;
- residual.
Препаралитическийпериод. Он начинается с повышения температуры до 39,5 — 40 °С, слабости и недомогания, головной боли. Могут присоединиться симптомы ОРВИ или кишечной инфекции. Иногда через пару дней больной чувствует мнимое улучшение, но вскоре его состояние снова резко ухудшается. Температура уже не спадает, отмечается спутанность сознания, подергивание конечностей, сильные головные и мышечные боли. Обычно препаралитический период полиомиелита длится около 4 — 5 дней, после чего болезнь переходит в паралитическую стадию.
paralytic period. Для него характерно внезапное развитие параличей мышц конечностей (чаще ног, реже паралич мышц шеи и туловища), резкие боли в мышцах, при этом их чувствительность не нарушается. Также может возникнуть паралич диафрагмы и дыхательных мышц, а это может привести к нарушениям дыхания и кровообращения (больной может погибнуть от удушья). Паралитический период длится в среднем 1 — 2 недели.
Резидуальный (остаточный) период. At this stage, muscle atrophy develops, contractures and deformities of the body and limbs occur.
Diagnostics
Sometimes a doctor may not immediately suspect polio in an adult. Firstly, this disease is much more common in children than in adults. Secondly, the polio virus in its symptoms is similar to other herpesviruses and enteroviruses. Therefore, the diagnosis of the disease should begin with the fact that it is necessary to exclude tick-borne encephalitis and serous meningitis, in which severe headaches, paralysis, and stiffness of the occipital and cervical muscles also appear. It is also quite difficult to diagnose poliomyelitis in its non-paralytic or pre-paralytic form, when the symptoms are erased or weak, and the nervous system is not yet affected.
The doctor may prescribe the following laboratory tests:
- detection of the virus in the cerebrospinal fluid or feces by PCR;
- иммуноферментный анализ (ИФА, выделяет РНК вируса);
- serological analysis of plasma;
- EEG (allows you to identify violations in the spinal cord and brain).
Modern treatments
Unfortunately, there is currently no specific treatment for polio in adults. The main treatment is symptomatic in order to alleviate the patient’s condition, speed up his recovery and prevent serious complications.
В первую очередь, пациента госпитализируют. Ему назначается постельный режим и полный покой, врач выписывает обезболивающие и мочегонные препараты. При нарушении дыхания пациента подключают к аппарату искусственной вентиляции легких, при нарушении глотательной функции – его кормят через зонд. В препаралитический период врач может назначить иммуноглобулин.
It is very important to exercise and care for the patient during the recovery period. Medical massage, therapeutic gymnastics, physiotherapy, spa treatment are prescribed. It is necessary to develop muscles as much as possible so that contractures do not form.
Профилактика полиомиелита у взрослых в домашних условиях
– In the case of polio, the best and probably the only prevention is routine vaccination, which provides lifelong immunity to picornavirus. Vaccination is carried out first with an inactivated and then with a live vaccine. Vaccination is carried out within the framework of the National calendar of preventive vaccinations and vaccinations according to epidemic indications. infectious disease specialist, head of the epidemiology department Regina Basharova.
А как быть, если в детстве прививка от полиомиелита как-то прошла мимо, и к взрослому возрасту человек остался непривитым?
– For those adults who were not fully vaccinated in childhood, a triple immunization against polio is indicated, according to the scheme 0 – 1 (2) – 14 months. This is especially important if you are planning a train to a country or area with an epidemiological situation unfavorable for poliomyelitis, the expert clarifies.
Также следует соблюдать личную гигиену: тщательно мыть руки с мылом по приходу домой с улицы, чаще проводить влажную уборку дома с использованием дезинфицирующих средств, а также следить за качеством питьевой воды.
Popular questions and answers
Мы задали самые частые вопросы о полиомиелите врачу-инфекционисту Регине Башаровой.