Differentiating post-polio syndrome from myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome, 2019, Jason et al

Paywall, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21641846.2019.1687117
Not available via Scihub at time of posting

 

This is pretty wild. Looking forward to read more on this. Throwing another wrench in the misguided idea that only active infections matter. Especially how it is critical to the BPS model of ME, that an infection may have occurred but once gone its role should be discarded as no longer relevant. Clearly not that simple.

 

I seem to remember the theory of post polio syndrome is that the polio virus damages the end plates of the muscles and as they are used they accumulate damage until after about 30 years people have reached the point where they no longer work properly so it is not a continuing infection.

The treatment is to save as much function as possible with stairlifts, mobility aids, rest, that sort of thing

I have a friend with PPS who is disabled, but not like us, it is more mechanical and less "weird"

 

This abstract looks pretty worthless. They define three things, "PPS", "ME" and "CFS" in the background section. Then, under results, they compared "ME/CFS", which wasn't defined in the background section to PPS. Wow, this journal article must have undergone severe peer review. Sometimes it is helpful if someone at least tries to read these things (at least the abstracts!) before they are published.

Received; 24 Sept
Accepted: 28 Oct
Published: 6 NOv.

 

I had a close neighbour friend who got polio as a child and had a relapse at age 42. She was walking down the street and lost muscle function in her legs and fell down. She eventually recovered, but it was quite a shock for her.