Topic Overview
What is Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS)?
Guillain-Barré syndrome (say "ghee-YAN bah-RAY") is a problem with your
nervous system. It causes muscle weakness, loss of
reflexes, and numbness or tingling in your arms, legs, face, and other parts of
your body.
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) can cause paralysis and
lead to death. But most people get better and have few lasting problems.
GBS is rare.
What causes Guillain-Barré syndrome?
Experts don't
know what causes GBS. They think that the nerves are attacked by your body’s
own defense system (the immune system). This is called an
autoimmune disease.
In GBS, the immune
system attacks the covering (myelin sheath) of certain nerves. This
causes nerve damage.
Infections that may trigger GBS
GBS usually begins to affect the nerves after you've had a
viral or
bacterial infection. Often it is after an infection of
the lungs or stomach and intestines.
Infections that may trigger
GBS include:
- Campylobacter jejuni,
which can cause a type of food poisoning.
- Mycoplasma, which can cause pneumonia.
- Cytomegalovirus (CMV), which can cause fever, chills,
sore throat, swollen glands, body aches, and fatigue.
- Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which can cause mononucleosis (mono).
- Varicella-zoster virus, which can cause
chickenpox and
shingles.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms of GBS
include:
- Numbness or tingling in your hands and feet and sometimes
around the mouth and lips.
- Muscle weakness in your legs and arms
and the sides of your face.
- Trouble speaking, chewing, and
swallowing.
- Not being able to move your eyes.
- Back
pain.
Symptoms usually start with numbness or tingling in the
fingers and toes. Over several days, muscle weakness in the legs and arms
develops. After about 4 weeks, most people begin to get better.
You may need to be treated in the hospital for the first few weeks. This
is because GBS can be deadly if weakness spreads to muscles that control
breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure.
Call your doctor or get help right away if you think you might have GBS.
How is Guillain-Barré syndrome diagnosed?
Your
doctor will ask when your symptoms started and how they have changed. He or she
also may ask if you've had any recent infections.
Two signs are
important in helping your doctor decide if you have GBS:
- Your arms and legs are getting
weaker.
- You are losing your
reflexes, which are automatic body movements that you
can't control.
Your doctor also may do tests, such as a
lumbar puncture and a
nerve conduction study.
If the diagnosis
isn't clear, you may be referred to a doctor who specializes in the nervous
system (neurologist).
How is it treated?
GBS usually is treated in the
hospital. The hospital staff will watch you carefully to be sure you don't get
worse or get an infection. Your breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure are
carefully tracked. Some people need a ventilator to help them breathe.
In the hospital, you may get a
plasma exchange or
intravenous immune globulin (IVIG).
- In a plasma exchange, blood is taken out of
your body. The harmful antibodies are removed from the blood, and then the
blood is returned to your body.
- In IVIG, helpful antibodies are
added to your blood.
These treatments may help your body fight the disease and
may speed your recovery if they are used when you first get GBS. You may need to stay in the hospital for weeks or longer, until your symptoms have improved.
Sometimes GBS can come back. Both plasma exchange and IVIG therapy may be needed to reduce the severity of a relapse.
How long will it take to recover?
You may need 3 to 6 months or longer to recover from GBS. And you may have to wait several months before you can return to your
regular activities.
Many people have long-term effects from GBS, such as numbness in the toes and fingers. In most cases, these problems won't get in the way of your daily life. Some people have more serious problems, such as long-term weakness or balance problems.
Support at home is important during this time. You
may need some help with some of your activities and chores until you're stronger.
Regular exercise can help you strengthen your weakened muscles. Talk to your doctor
about exercising during your recovery. If you have severe muscle weakness, you may need
physical or
occupational therapy.