Guillain-Barre Syndrome is a disorder in the body’s immune system attacks a person
nerves. The accurate cause of this syndrome is unknown, stomach flu and respiratory
function is however caused by GBS that can cause an infectious illness. (Parry &
Steinberg, 2007, pg. 24). Guillain-Barre syndrome is a uncommon disorder, it usually
starts with a tingling and weakness starting in a persons feet of legs and slowly spreading
to the upper body and arms. These symptoms occur after four weeks and start by
damaging the peripheral nerves antigens. The nerves cannot send signals efficiently and
the muscles lose their ability to respond to the brain and results in the inability to feel
pain, heat, and other sensations (Sharma, “Top Super Specialist Hospital In Nodia”, pg.
1).
Guillain-Barre syndrome also known as GBS is clinically defined as an acute
peripheral neuropathy causing limb weakness that progresses over a time period of days,
or at the most, up to four weeks. (NINDS Guillain-Barre Syndrome Information page,
pg.1). Guillain-Barre syndrome is an autoimmune disorder that affects the nerves.
Autoimmune disorders appear when the immune system malfunctions and affects the
body’s own tissues and organs. In this disorder, the immune systems response damages
peripheral nerves, which are the nerves that connect the central nervous system
specifically the brain and the spinal cord to the limbs and organs (Guillain-Barre
syndrome, pg.1) Precisely, the immune systems response attacks a particular part of
peripheral nerves called axon, which are the extensions of nerve cells (neurons)
which transmit nerve impulses (Guillain-Barre syndrome, pg.1) this disorder can be the
cause of ...
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Guillain-Barre syndrome. (n.d). Genetics Home Reference. Retrieved May
21,2014, from http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=guillain-barre-syndrome.
NINDS Guillain-Barre Syndrome Information Page. (n.d). Guillain-Barre
Syndrome Information Page Of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Retrieved
May 20,2014, from http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/gbs/gb.
Kuwabara. (2004). Result Filters. National Center for Biotechnology Information.
Retrieved May 19,2014 from http://www.nclb.nlm.gov/pubmed/15018590.
Parry. G.J., & Steinberg, J.S. (2007). Guillain-Barre syndrome from diagnosis
to recovery. New York, N.Y.; Demos.
Sharma, M. (n.d). Top Super Specialist Hospital in Nodia. Top Super Specialist
Hospital in Nodia. Retrieved May 21, 2014, from http://www.kailash healthcare.com/de
fault.aspx.
It was the beginning of February when my grandfather was going in to receive his second knee replacement. Being his second time, we were optimistic that the surgery would go well and that he would recover without any issues. My grandfather made it through surgery and accordingly, had to stay for observation. During this time everything appeared to be normal, and knowing that my grandfather hates to be in hospitals, wouldn’t have said otherwise. When he was finally discharged, we took him home and the next day he appeared to have a stroke. The left side of his face had drooped down and he began feeling numbness and tingling on both sides of his body. We immediately rushed him to the hospital and at first it was assumed it was a stroke, but as his illness progressed it was apparent it was not. The numbness soon led to the loss of muscle control beginning at his legs and rapidly spreading up. My grandfather was able to specifically describe what he was experiencing and the doctor was able to diagnose him with Guillain- Barré syndrome.
The signs and symptoms are pressure, stiffness, pain in the chest or/ and arms that may advanced to the neck, jaw, or back
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease affecting the myelination of the central nervous system, leading to numerous issues regarding muscle strength, coordination, balance, sensation, vision, and even some cognitive defects. Unfortunately, the etiology of MS is not known, however, it is generally thought of and accepted as being an autoimmune disorder inside of the central nervous system (Rietberg, et al. 2004). According to a study (Noonan, et al. 2010) on the prevalence of MS, the disease affects more than 1 million people across the world, and approximately 85% of those that are affected will suffer from unpredictably occurring sessions of exacerbations and remissions. The report (Noonan, et al. 2010) found that the prevalence of MS was much higher in women than in men, and that it was also higher in non-Hispanic whites than in other racial or ethnic groups throughout the 3 regions of the United States that were studied.
As motor neurons degenerate, this obviously means they can no longer send impulses to the muscle fibers that otherwise normally result in muscle movement. Early symptoms of ALS often include increasing muscle weakness, especially involving the arms and legs, speech, swallowing or breathing. When muscles no longer receive the messages from the motor neurons that they require to function, the muscles begin to atrophy (become smaller). Limbs begin to look thinner as muscle tissue atrophies (Choi, 1988).
may last one to three weeks. In many cases new clusters of blisters appear as
... affecting the peripheral nervous system. Ascending paralysis, weakness beginning in the feet and migrating towards the trunk, limbs and the head, is the most common symptom, and some subtypes cause change in sensation or pain, as well as dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. It can cause life-threatening complications, in particular if the respiratory muscles are affected or if the autonomic nervous system is involved. The disease is usually triggered by an infection. The diagnosis is usually made by nerve conduction studies and with studies of the cerebrospinal fluid. With prompt treatment by intravenous immunoglobulin’s or plasmapheresis, together with supportive care, the majority will recover completely. Guillain Barré syndrome is rare, at one to two cases per 100,000 people annually, but is the most common cause of acute non-trauma-related paralysis.
A hypothesis that can be made from the patient’s report is that she is suffering from cervical radiculopathy, or a nerve root lesion. Symptoms that describe cervical radiculopathy include: arm pain in a dermatome distribution, pain increased by extension, rotation, and/or side flexion, possible relief of pain from arm positioned overhead, affected sensation, altered hand function, no spasticity, and no change to gait or bowel and bladder function (Magee, 2008, p. 142). These symptoms correlate to what the patient reported as a result of her injury. She stated that her pain is in the posterolateral upper and lower arm with aching and paresthesia in the thumb and index finger, which is in the dermatome pattern of cervical root 5 and 6 (C5, C6) (Magee, 2008, p. 25). She also reports lancinating pain with extension or rotation to the right of her head.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is a degenerative disease affecting the human nervous system. It is a deadly disease that cripples and kills its victims due to a breakdown in the body’s motor neurons. Motor neurons are nerve cells in the brainstem and spinal cord that control muscle contractions. In ALS, these neurons deteriorate to a point that all movement, including breathing, halts. Muscle weakness first develops in the muscles of body parts distant from the brain, such as the hands, and subsequently spreads through other muscle groups closer to the brain. Such early symptoms as this, however, can hardly be noticed.
symptoms between the ages of 30 and 50, but has been known to show itself in
globally spread. The symptoms of this illness are quite defined and are very recognizable. Cause
When a person begins to suffer from Guillain- Barre Syndrome their myelin sheath of their nervous system is being attacked and destroyed by the immune system (NINDS, 2011). The myelin sheath begins to lose its ability to transmit signals rapidly and affectively. Since signals are not getting transmitted to the brain fast enough, a person begins to notice fewer sensory responses from the rest of the body (NINDS, 2011). A person wouldn’t be able to tell right away or at all if an item they are touching is hot, cold, or causing pain. There also wouldn’t be good signal transmission from the brain to the rest of the body (NINDS, 2011). There would be signs of the muscles being unable to respond to the weakened or distraught signals they were receiving. Since the myelin sheath is responsible for transmitting the signals from a long distance, the upper and lower extremities would be the first to show signs of muscle dysfunction.
To begin with, symptoms for this will include swelling, bruising and tenderness around a muscle. This overall affects movement because, an individual would find it very difficult to move the affected body part because, this would be very painful if the specific muscle or the joint which, is in relation to the muscle is being used as the muscles will also be very stiff (1 and 2). Overall, this will leave the muscles or tendons to be very weak which means, an individual would have a lack of ability to use the muscles all together (2).
The most common type is Peripheral Neuropathy. It is also referred to as distal symmetric neuropathy or sensorimotor neuropathy. In this type, the legs, feet, toes, arms, and hands experience pain and loss of sensation. Typically, the lower extremities are involved before the upper extremities and a loss of reflexes is common. It is with this type of neuropathy that ulcers, wounds, infections, and in severe cases, amputation is most common (Dyck, Feldmen, & Vinick).
Patients may present with symptoms and signs limited to the foot or with systemic problems.
The patient has experienced fever, chills on body, headaches and anorexia as well as sweating especially during the night. The patient has also been feeling fatigued, muscle aches and nausea as well as vomiting especially after eating (WHO, 2010, p. 117). These symptoms started forty eight hours ago, and the patient has not taken any medication except for some aspirin.