Guillain-Barre Syndrome Analysis

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Recommended: CHAPTER 46 MED SURG QUIZLET for 27. Guillain-Barre Syndrome

The syndrome was named after Georges Guillain and Jean Alexandre Barre in 1916, Guillain-Barre Syndrome is an autoimmune disease, activated by an infection, or surgery that causes the immune system to attack the lower motor neurons in the peripheral nervous system, but will gradually work its way distally to more proximal. “This syndrome can affect people in any age group and occurs in 1 in 100,000 of the population.” (Lescher, 2011). Guillain Barre Syndrome typically occurs following an infection. It is believed that respiratory, stomach, and intestinal infections are most likely to be a trigger for Guillain-Barre, such as, pneumonia, food poisoning, flu like symptoms, and in some circumstances can be caused after surgery. Although there …show more content…

A good test for confirming Guillain-Barre is the nerve conduction test. If there is a sign of demyelination this test will show that the nerve impulse will take a longer time to contract the muscle. Another test for confirming Guillain-Barre would be testing the blood for cortisol. It has shown that patients with Guillain-Barre will have higher levels of cortisol in their plasma (Lescher, 2011). Efferent paralysis is more prevalent than afferent loss; however, in most variations of Guillain-Barre, sensory deficits will occur on both sides, symmetrically. As stated before, it is more severe in hands and feet; this is commonly stated as, glove-and-stocking sensory loss. “This distal pattern of sensory loss is caused by axonal transport, or the dying-back phenomenon, wherein the parts of the axon most affected are those most remote from the cell bodies in the dorsal root ganglia." (Schenkman, M. L., …show more content…

While Guillain-Barre etiology is rather unknown, scientist are looking for answers on why and how Guillain-Barre occurs as well as focusing on finding new treatments and further developing the existing treatments. “The fact that so many cases of Guillain-Barre begin after a viral or bacterial infection suggests that certain characteristics of some viruses and bacteria may activate the immune system inappropriately.” (NINDS). Proper treatment is done so by plasmapheresis, or intravenous immunoglobulin, and after symptoms begin to subside, medical and physical therapy interventions have shown to greatly aid in recovery, and with proper supportive care, typically in about a year, patients will be able to return to a normal

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