Chapter 1170 Poliovirus
“Indeed, Master has seen many doctors, and they all said there was nothing that could be done,” Elena said, which was exactly as I had expected.
Although I felt it might be a redundant question, I still asked to confirm: “If it’s just a disability, hasn’t he consulted transplant specialists? He only needs to transplant a new leg to stand up.”
“Of course, he has, but it was no use. The transplanted leg could only move for a short time before the entire leg would atrophy and become completely useless. Master has already changed his legs three times because of this, the last time even using a leg from an otherworldly being, but it was all the same, it would atrophy.”
Elena hesitated before answering me. Safah was very wary of his subordinates revealing details about his illness, even though everyone knew he was disabled, he didn’t want others to know the real situation.
However, facing a doctor who might have exceptional medical skills, Elena hesitated several times before telling the truth. Anyway, Safah wasn’t around, and even if Parul couldn’t cure him, at worst, she could tell her not to spread it and pretend it never happened.
While Elena was still feeling uneasy, I had already understood. I spoke to her directly: “I think I understand. Safah’s problem isn’t really his leg, is it? Is he already paralyzed, and can’t even feel his lower body?”
“How do you know? No, have you already analyzed what illness it is?” Elena asked, surprised.
“I’ve probably guessed a few possibilities. The cause of this condition is most likely nerve damage, especially damage to motor neurons. The most likely illness is a sequela of poliomyelitis,” I said.
Elena looked at me in surprise, not expecting that from just a few words, without even seeing the patient, I could deduce so much information.
But in my opinion, the information was sufficient. There were only a few causes for lower limb paralysis. If transplanting someone else’s thigh was successful yet he still couldn’t walk, the most likely issue was nerve problems.
And the disease that also causes leg atrophy is most commonly poliomyelitis, commonly known as polio, an infectious disease caused by a neurotropic virus. Children under five are most susceptible to infection and illness, hence the nickname polio.
Most of these are mild cases. After the poliovirus enters the human body, it takes a period of circulation to reach the central nervous system and begin destroying nerves. If the human body automatically produces immune antibodies before that, it can easily self-heal without serious consequences.
However, complications like aseptic meningitis or the virus invading the central nervous system through blood circulation can lead to muscle relaxation, atrophy, and paralysis, which are the most typical clinical symptoms of this disease.
In very rare, severe cases, patients can be affected by cranial nerves and spinal nerves due to the poliovirus, leading to paralysis of the mouth and nose. Patients may die from respiratory and circulatory failure.
The severity of clinical manifestations depends on various factors, such as the virulence of the strain, the viral load, and immune dysfunction of the human body.
However, what makes people most fearful about poliomyelitis is not the onset of the disease itself, because the human body is quite capable of producing antibodies to kill the poliovirus. Even without medication, many people can self-heal or be asymptomatic even if infected.
What is truly terrifying are its sequelae, post-polio muscular atrophy syndrome. Due to nerve damage caused by the virus during illness, leading to nerve fibrosis, even after the illness subsides, nerve necrosis will continue to affect bodily control, eventually leading to muscle atrophy, bone degeneration, and paralysis and disability.
When a person is infected with the poliovirus, their immune system races against this virus. If antibodies can be produced before the virus invades the nerves, then nothing will happen. If the virus starts destroying nerves, the earlier the treatment, the lighter the consequences.
Once nerve necrosis occurs and fibrosis sets in, then sorry, there’s no cure. Even if polio is cured, dead nerves and atrophied muscles cannot be restored to their original state. Most people can only be paralyzed for life.
Many people consider polio an incurable disease and fear it like the plague. This is both correct and incorrect. Polio is easily curable, and even without treatment, it’s very likely to get better on its own, but its sequelae are almost incurable.
Therefore, when I heard that Safah’s legs had atrophied, and even after changing two legs, they would still atrophy, I roughly guessed it was polio. Looking at Elena’s expression, I estimated I wasn’t wrong.
“How many years has he been ill? Have any doctors proposed a treatment plan before?” I asked with a sliver of hope, after all, I was also a doctor, and challenging difficult cases was a trial for myself.
“I don’t know. Before I joined his subordinates, Master was already in a wheelchair. It’s possible that…” Elena hesitated before saying, “Some old members of the gang rumored that Master was paralyzed from a very young age.”
Well, as expected of polio, paralyzed from a young age, how could it be cured? Safah is now an old man. He has been ill for at least decades, his nerves are completely dead, and there’s no hope.
I had actually saved a patient with nerve damage before, when I joined the Central Hospital. Under the watchful eyes of many doctors, I treated a girl in the third stage of syphilis, astonishing everyone.
But her nerves had only recently been damaged, and I could repair them with the Life Elixir. Now, Safah has been ill for decades, his nerve fibrosis has long been established, and even a lot of Life Elixir would be useless.
“Master has tried the advice of many doctors, such as hot spring therapy, transplanting new legs, and even miracle elixirs, but nothing worked,” Elena said.
I really wanted to know what happened to the doctors who couldn’t provide effective solutions and instead caused Safah to waste a lot of money, because I heard that Safah was a very ruthless person. After all, how could a disabled person have a place in the underground world without being ruthless?
However, I discretionately didn’t ask, only saying: “I’m not sure either. Let me go back and check some medical books to study before I say anything.”
This was a subtle refusal. I don’t have any medical books at home. All my medical skills are stored in my brain. If I know it, I know it; if I don’t, I don’t. At least, I can’t find a way to treat the sequelae of polio in my brain right now.
“Alright, sorry to have disturbed you. If you find a way, you can have Jayad send word. If you can cure Master’s paralysis, he will reward you handsomely,” Elena said.
Soon, we returned to Cando City. The journey back was calm, without encountering any monsters. The last surviving soldier negotiated, and Elena mentioned Safah’s name, so our motorcade even entered the city without being inspected.
