Polio was considered to be a chronic, yet stable disease once the acute phase was over and rehabilitation had restored a greater or lesser degree of function. Medical textbooks have until recently described polio as having three distinct stages: acute illness, period of recovery and stable disability. However, it is now known many polio survivors develop new symptoms after decades of stable functioning. In reviewing this topic, it is necessary to provide a brief historical background to the "Late Effects of Polio" (LEOP). The most appropriate diagnostic labels to use and the proposed aetiologies of the fourth stage of polio will then be considered. download this chapter: (PDF, 83.6KB)
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