| Guillain-Barré syndrome is a uncommon health | | | | affecting also the lungs or the digestive area |
| situation that affects the nerves outside a | | | | precedes the disorder. The symptoms may live in |
| person's brain and spinal cord. The peripheral | | | | this stage, causing only meek difficulty in walking, |
| nerves convey sensory information (e.g., pain, | | | | requiring crutches or a walking stick. However, |
| temperature) from the body to the brain and | | | | sometimes the illness progresses, leading to |
| motor (i.e., movement) signals from the brain to | | | | complete paralysis of the arms and legs. About 30 |
| the body. Guillain-Barré syndrome is very rare: | | | | percent of the people who have the disorder will |
| It only affects one or two people in every | | | | temporarily require the assist of a machine to |
| 100,000. Most of the people who do get | | | | breathe. Muscle and joint pain can be treated with |
| Guillain-Barré syndrome recover and are bright | | | | over-the-counter analgesics such as aspirin. If |
| to come back to their normal lives and activities. | | | | essential, stronger pain drug may be prescribed. |
| Guillain-Barre syndrome sometimes is triggered by | | | | Muscle spasms can be managed with relaxants |
| a respiratory disease or the stomach flu. | | | | such as diazepam. A new treatment for GBS is |
| Guillain-Barre syndrome may be an autoimmune | | | | immunoglobulin therapy. This involves using well |
| disorder in which the body produces antibodies | | | | antibodies from blood donors to assist block the |
| that harm the myelin sheath that surrounds | | | | harmful antibodies in the body of the person with |
| peripheral nerves. The myelin sheath is a oily stuff | | | | GBS. Plasmapheresis treatment also known as |
| that surrounds axons. It enlarges the speed at | | | | plasma exchange is a type of "blood cleansing" in |
| which signals travel along the nerves. The primary | | | | which damaging antibodies are removed from |
| symptoms of GBS are generally numbness or | | | | your blood. Plasmapheresis consists of removing |
| tingling (paresthesia) in the toes and fingers, with | | | | the liquid portion of your blood and separating it |
| progressive weakness in the arms and legs over | | | | from the actual blood cells. Treatment with |
| the next few days. Several patients experience | | | | plasmapheresis or intravenous immunoglobulin |
| paresthesia only in their toes and legs; others only | | | | shortens the time period before recovery begins |
| experience symptoms on one side of the body. | | | | by as much as 50 percent. |
| In about 60 percent of the cases, an infection | | | | |