Pathophysiology


 * __Pathophysiology__**
 * Polio is a viral disease. There are three types of poliovirus and many strains of each type. The virus enters through the mouth and multiplies in the throat and gastrointestinal tract, then it moves into the bloodstream and is carried to the central nervous system where it replicated and destroys the motor neuron cells. The motor neurons functions are to control the muscles for swallowing, circulation, respiration, and the trunk, arms, and legs.**


 * Human nerve cells have a protruding protein structure on their surface whose exact function is not known. When the poliovirus encounters the nerve cells, the protruding receptors attach to the virus particle, and infection begins. Once inside the cell, the virus hijacks the cell’s assembly process, and makes thousands of copies of itself in a matter of hours. The virus kills the cell and the spreads to infect other cells. Poliovirus is spread by person-to-person contact, contact with infected mucus or phlegm from the nose or mouth, and contact with infected feces. Complications of this virus are paralysis that can lead to permanent disability and death. **


 * __ Signs and Symptoms __**
 * “Approximately 95% of persons infected with polio will have no symptoms. About 4-8% of infected persons have minor symptoms (CDC).” The minor symptoms that may be presented are fever, fever, fatigue, nausea, headache, flu-like symptoms, stiffness in the neck and back, and pain in the limbs. The health care provider may find that the patient present with abnormal reflexes, back stiffness, difficulty lifting the head or legs when lying flat on the back, stiff neck, and trouble bending the neck . **





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