Landry-Guillain-Barre syndrome; Acute idiopathic polyneuritis; Infectious polyneuritis; Acute inflammatory polyneuropathy
There is no cure for Guillain-Barre syndrome. However, many treatments are available to help reduce symptoms, treat complications, and speed up recovery.
When symptoms are severe, the patient will need to go to the hospital for breathing help, treatment, and physical therapy.
A method called plasmapheresis is used to clean a person's blood of proteins called antibodies. Blood is taken from the body, usually from the arm, pumped into a machine that removes the antibodies, then sent back into the body.
High-dose immunoglobulin therapy (IVIg) is another procedure used to reduce the severity and length of Guillain-Barre symptoms.
Other treatments are directed at preventing complications.
Guillain-Barre Syndrome Foundation International -
Recovery can take weeks or years. Most people survive and recover completely. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, about 30 percent of patients still have some weakness after 3 years. Mild weakness may persist for some people.
A patient's outcome is most likely to be very good when the symptoms go away within 3 weeks after they first started.
Seek immediate medical help if you have any of the following symptoms:
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