What are the types of polio?
Polio can affect your body differently depending on where the virus multiplies and attacks. Types of polio include:
Abortive poliomyelitis causes flu-like and intestinal symptoms. It only lasts a few days and doesn’t cause long-lasting issues.
Non-paralytic poliomyelitis may cause aseptic meningitis, a swelling of the area around your brain. It causes more symptoms than abortive poliomyelitis and may require you to stay in the hospital.
Paralytic poliomyelitis happens when poliovirus attacks your brain and spinal cord. It can paralyze the muscles that allow you to breathe, speak, swallow and move your limbs. Depending on what parts of your body are affected, it’s called spinal polio or bulbar polio. Spinal and bulbar polio can appear together (bulbospinal polio). Less than 1% of people with polio get paralytic poliomyelitis.
Polioencephalitis is a rare type of polio that mostly affects infants. It causes brain swelling.
Post-polio syndromeis when symptoms of polio come back years after a polio infection.
