Guillain-Barre Syndrome - All you need to know

Guillain-Barre(GB) Syndrome

Edited by, JOHN FELIX

Guillain-Barre syndrome is a serious autoimmune disorder which affects 1 in 100,000 population. This being a rare disorder, where the immune cells affects the healthy nerve cells of the Peripheral Nervous System(PNS).

This disorder was found to be triggered by viral or other infectious diseases such as lung infections. The exact cause of GB syndrome in unknown, but according to the Centers of Disease control and Prevention(CDC), maximum number of patients with GB syndrome develop this after an infectious disease. Thus, professionals believe that an improper immune response to the previous illness triggers this disorder. People who have been sick with diarrhea also developed GB syndrome.

CAUSES:

Campylobacter jejuni is one of the common cause of diarrhea and it was found to be an risk factor for GB syndrome. The other factors associated with GB syndrome are;

• Influenza

• Epstein Barr Virus(EBV)

• Mycoplasma pneumonia

• HIV

In some cases, people may develop GB syndrome after vaccination, but in rare cases. Thus it is important to monitor the people after vaccination for early detection of the symptoms of GB syndrome. 

In Kerala (a state in India), Doctors have detected 7 cases of GB syndrome among 12 lakh people who received Covishield (COVID-19 VACCINE) vaccine within a month.

SYMPTOMS:

The nerves in the Peripheral Nervous system connects Brain to rest of the body and transmits signal to the muscles. In GB syndrome, the immune system attacks the healthy nerves of the PNS. When these nerves are damaged, the muscles fail to receive signals from the brain.

                                    

The common symptoms include,

• Tingling sensation in toes and fingers

• Muscle weekness and gets worse over time

• Difficulty moving eyes, face, chewing, swallowing and walking

• Severe back pain

• Difficulty breathing

• Fast heart rate

• Paralysis

The severity of symptoms vary in different individuals. In some older patients, the symptoms get worse within hours.

COMPLICATIONS:

The major complication of GB Syndrome when paralysis spreads to muscles is Difficulty breathing. Respirators may be used to help breathing in those patients. The other complications may include,

•Heart related problems

• Blood Pressure problems

• Bloodclots and slow bowel or bladder function

TREATMENT:

GB syndrome usually resolves on its own. However anyone with such symptoms must visit the doctor for close observation. If untreated, the symptoms may get worse and leads to death. In severe cases, the patients may develop full-body paralysis.

The primary goal of treatment is to;

• Lessen the severity of immune attack

• Support the body functions, while the nervous system recover

Plasmapheresis:

GB Syndrome occurs when the immune system produce antibodies and the antibodies mistakenly attacks the healthy nerves. Plasmapheresis is nothing but the plasma exchange that removes antibodies attacking the nerves. In this procedure, the blood is removed from the body and the antibodies are removed by a machine and then the blood is infused back to the body.

Intavenous Immunoglobulin:

Immunoglobulin at high doses can block the antibodies causing GB syndrome.

Medications to relieve pain and bloodclots may also be added in the treatment chart.