Gullian Barre syndrome

• Peru has imposed a health emergency over an “unusual” outbreak of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) in the country.

ABOUT GBS

• The Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is a rare but serious neurological disorder and autoimmune disease.
• It is a neurological condition characterized by an uncommon immune system response that mistakenly attacks on nervous system.
• Guillain-Barre Syndrome can manifest in various degrees of severity, ranging from mild cases with brief episodes of weakness to more severe instances of paralysis.
• In GBS, symptoms may progress gradually over a span of hours, days, or weeks eventually rendering certain muscles non-functional.
• Symptoms
  • The earliest symptoms of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) are usually tingling and weakness in the feet and hands or pain in the legs or back.
  • If the weakness extends beyond the legs, a person may develop the following symptoms:
    • Weakness on both sides of the body
    • Difficulty breathing
    • Muscle weakness in the arms
    • Paralysis of the whole body
  • The disease is often triggered after a viral or bacterial infection.
  • Treatment
  • The two main treatment options for GBS are immunoglobulin therapy (IVIG) and plasma exchange.
    • In IVIG, donated blood containing health anti-bodies is given to a person with GBS. It is an intravenous treatment and is the most common method to treat GBS.
    • In plasma exchange, a person’s blood is taken and harmful anti-bodies are filtered out in a machine. The treated blood is given again to the person.