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Guillain-Barre syndrome

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment

Alternative Names:

Landry-Guillain-Barre syndrome; Acute idiopathic polyneuritis; Infectious polyneuritis; Acute inflammatory polyneuropathy

Treatment:

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 remove a person's blood and replace it with intravenous (IV) fluids or donated blood that is free of proteins called antibodies .

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.

• Proper body positioning or a feeding tube may be used to prevent choking during feeding.
• Blood thinners may be used to prevent blood clots.
• Pain is treated aggressively with anti-inflammatory medicines and narcotics, if needed.

Support Groups:

Guillain-Barre Syndrome Foundation International - www.gbsfi.com

Expectations (prognosis):

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 (onset).

Complications:

• Breathing difficulty (respiratory failure)
• Sucking in food or fluids into the lungs ( aspiration )
• Pneumonia
• Increased risk of infections
• Deep vein thrombosis
• Permanent loss of movement of an area
• Contractures of joints or other deformity

Calling your health care provider:

Seek immediate medical help if any of the following symptoms occur:

• Loss of movement
• Decreased feeling (sensation)
• Difficulty swallowing
• Difficulty breathing
• Unable to take a deep breath
• Fainting

References:

Hughes RA, Raphael JC, Swan AV, van Doorn PA. Intravenous immunoglobulin for Guillain-Barre syndrome. Cochrane Database Syst Rev . 2006 Jan 25;(1):CD002063. Review.

Hughes RA, Wijdicks EF, Barohn R, et al. Practice parameter: immunotherapy for Guillain-Barre syndrome: report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology. Neurology . 2003 Sep. 23;61(6):736-40.

Sharar E. Current therapeutic options in severe Guillain-Barre syndrome. Clin Neuropharmacol . 2006 Jan-Feb;29(1):45-51.

Wiles CM, Brown P, Chapel H, et al. Intravenous immunoglobulin in neurological disease: a specialist review. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry . 2002 Apr;72(4):440-8. Review.

Goetz, CG. Textbook of Clinical Neurology . 2nd ed. St. Louis, Mo: WB Saunders; 2003: 1085-1090.

• Review Date: 4/28/2006
• Reviewed By: Daniel Kantor, M.D., Director of the Comprehensive MS Center, Neuroscience Institute, University of Florida Health Science Center, Jacksonville, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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