Guillain-Barre syndrome

Guillain-Barre syndrome is a disease affecting the peripheral nervous system. It is also known as post-infective polyradiculoneuropathy or acute inflammatory. In this condition the nerves are attacked by the body’s immune system causing inflammation which results in to numbing sensation in arms and legs. This may lead to temporary paralysis. Guillain-Barre syndrome may affect people of any age group but is more common in men. The exact cause of this syndrome is still unknown but people affected by it generally get a bacterial or viral infection within the last four weeks. People suffering from Guillain-Barre syndrome generally recover within a few weeks or months and do not have any further problems. In some cases the patient may take a longer time to recover. There is a possibility of permanent nerve damage in certain cases.

Symptoms

This syndrome develops very quickly and usually takes one to three weeks to appear. The following symptoms show up including headache ,fever ,back ache and pain in the limbs
– muscle weakness
– tingling and numbness in the limb
– difficulty with eye movement, speech, chewing or swallowing,
– temporary paralysis of the legs, arms, face and respiratory muscles that control breathing
– slow heart rate, or low blood pressure
– difficulty with bladder control or digestion,

This syndrome develops very fast and early treatment is needed as the condition can be life threatening. In case the respiratory muscles are affected, the patient might need a ventilator. The extent to which paralysis affects the body parts varies from person to person.

Causes of Guillain-Barre syndrome

The cause for Guillain-Barre syndrome is still unclear but it is thought to be due to allergic reaction to virus that causes flu, sore throat and diarrhoea. The protective covering of myelin sheaths (peripheral nerves) is damaged by the immune system. This stops the nerves from sending signals to muscles resulting in weakness and short term paralysis. Other possible causes of this syndrome are as follows
– bacterial infections
– viruses
– immunisation
– Hodgkin’s disease
Treatment

A person suffering from Guillain-Barre syndrome is initially treated in the hospital as an emergency case. In this condition the respiration rate of the patient is carefully monitored. In case there is breathing problem the patient might be put in a ventilator and careful observation is done by keeping the patient in the intensive care unit. There are two main treatments that decreases the severity of Guillain-Barre syndrome and also helps in early recovery.

Plasma exchange (plasmapheresis): The clear yellowish fluid part of blood is called plasma. In this treatment the plasma is removed and separated from the actual blood cells. The harmful parts of the cells that attack the nerves are removed and the cells are put back into the body. These blood cells produce healthy plasma to replace the plasma that was taken out.

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg): The immune system of body produces antibodies also known as immunoglobulin to fight against the harmful viruses and bacteria. Healthy immunoglobulin from blood donors can be injected into the body which can block and destroy the harmful parts of the blood.