Guillian-Barre Syndrome (Weak and numb arms , legs and body usually after a chest infection)

What is it?

A disorder affecting the peripheral nervous system, an acute polyneuropathy.

The protective covering of the nerves, called myelin, is damaged.
The disorder starts with weakness in the feet and hands, slowly progressing towards the trunk, and paralysing the whole body.
Dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system is also seen.

Life-threatening complications can also occur

There are three types of Guillain-Barre syndromes:

Acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy
Miller Fisher Syndrome
Acute motor axonal neuropathy/Acute motor-sensory axonal neuropathy

Cause

Infection: The pathogen that is best known to predispose to this condition:
- Campylobacter jejuni
- Influenza viruses [(usually respiratory infection and flu (bacterial and/or viral)]
- Cytomegalovirus
- Mycoplasma pneumoniae
- Cyclosporiasis
- Epstein-Barr virus
- Zika virus
Hepatitis E

Source: Practical Neurology - The BMJ

Source: Mayo foundation

Symptoms

Sensations of pricking, ‘pins and needles’ in fingers, wrists, toes, ankles?
Weakness at all over body especially arms and legs spreading towards the trunk?
Unsteady gait, difficulty in climbing stairs?
Facial and eye movements are impaired, affecting speech, chewing or swallowing (drooling of saliva)?
Eye movement abnormalities, especially in ‘Miller Fisher Syndrome’ variant?
Severe pain, cramps, worsening at night?
Impaired bladder and bowel function?
Fluctuating blood pressure?
Rapid heart rate?
Breathing difficulties?
Loss of sensation of movement (proprioception)?
Loss of deep tendon reflexes?

Medindia

Complications /Information to beware of/General tips:

Medical Emergency Condition

Do not wait, phone for an ambulance

Driving Authority

One should notify their driving authority if one has this condition/disease.

H.I.V test

A H.I.V test should be offered if one has this condition.

This condition may show similar symptoms to:

Botulism
Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease
Congenital hypomyelination neuropathy (Infant)
Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy:
- Usually develops more slowly, reaching its worst in more than eight weeks, it can affect ones limbs (gripping objects, walking) and does not usually affect one’s breathing.
- Persists and progresses over many months or years or may improve and then come back again
Churg-Strauss Syndrome
Hashimoto encephalopathy
Lambert-Eaton Syndrome
Locked-in syndrome
Metachromatic leukodystrophy
Miller-Fisher syndrome (Medical Emergency):
- Balance and dizziness
- Weak eye muscles, with double or blurred vision, and often drooping eyelids with facial weakness (Argyll Robertson pupil is the most common ocular finding. It is described as pupils that constrict with accommodation but do not constrict with exposure to light).
- Speech problems
- Abnormal facial expression with inability to smile or whistle
- Problems with co-ordination
- Absence of deep tendon reflexes
- Tingling and numbness on body causing patient to fall
MOG antibody disease
Multifocal motor neuropathy
Multiple sulfatase deficiency
Myasthenia gravis
Parsonage-Turner syndrome (Brachial plexus neuritis-is an uncommon neurological disorder characterised by rapid onset of severe pain in the shoulder and arm)
Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease
PMM2-CDG
Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (those who have severe weak immune conditions)
Rabies
Susac syndrome

Detailed Information

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