Guillain-Barré Syndrome: What you should know about the rare nervous disease

cases in Peru
Guillain-Barré Syndrome: What you should know about the rare nervous disease

Guillain-Barré syndrome is currently unusually common in Peru. How this rare neurological disease comes about and how it is treated. The most important questions and answers.

A public health emergency has been declared in Peru due to an unusual increase in cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome star reported. How the rare nervous disease comes about and which symptoms are typical. An overview:

What is Guillain-Barré Syndrome?

Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare nervous disorder. The body’s immune system attacks parts of the peripheral nervous system – a network of nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, the US health authority CDC informs. The immune system attacks the myelin sheath that encloses nerves – it allows nerve signals to be transmitted quickly. Sometimes, in addition to or instead, the part of the nerve that transmits the signals is attacked. The result: nerve fibers can no longer transmit stimuli and the muscles can no longer react to the commands of the brain.

The severity of the disease can vary greatly, from mild cases with brief weakness to cases of paralysis. Symptoms can rapidly worsen within hours, so those affected should be treated immediately in a hospital. In most cases, however, patients can recover even after a very severe case.

What are the symptoms?

Guillain-Barré syndrome often begins with tingling and weakness that starts in both feet or legs. In some people, the first symptoms also appear on the face or arms. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, it often starts with pain that starts in the legs or back, especially in children. According to the CDC, an estimated 3,000 to 6,000 people develop Guillain-Barré syndrome in the United States each year. They describe the following symptoms:

Other possible complaints:

Anyone experiencing a slight tingling in their toes or fingers that is not spreading and does not seem to be getting worse should see a doctor. If you have any of the following symptoms or if they worsen, you should go to the emergency room:

How does Guillain-Barré Syndrome develop?

The exact cause of Guillain-Barré syndrome has not yet been fully elucidated. As a rule, however, the nervous disease occurs a few days or weeks after an infection. According to the CDC, two-thirds of people with Guillain-Barré syndrome had diarrhea or respiratory problems before they developed it. The syndrome can also develop after influenza, Covid-19, infection with the Epstein-Barr virus or the Zika virus.

What is certain: The immune system attacks its own body in Guillain-Barré syndrome – it could be that this immune attack started as a fight against a virus or bacteria, and some resemble nerve cells. The body mistakenly attacks these as well. So it is an autoimmune disease.

Can you get Guillain-Barré Syndrome after vaccination?

In very rare cases, vaccination could potentially increase the risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. According to the CDC, the link between the seasonal flu shot and the nervous illness can vary from season to season. “When an increased risk has been identified, it has always been in the range of one to two additional Guillain-Barré syndrome cases per million doses of influenza vaccine administered.” Studies have also shown that you are more likely to develop Guillain-Barre Syndrome after getting the flu than after getting the flu shot.

Studies by the CDC based on data from the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) and the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) have found an increased risk of developing Guillain-Barré syndrome after vaccination with Johnson & Johnson’s corona vaccine found. But not with the vaccines from Moderna and Biontech.

How is the nervous disease treated?

The faster Guillain-Barré syndrome is treated, the better the prognosis. Hospital treatment is important because the disease can spread quickly and lead to complications such as muscle weakness, paralysis, pneumonia, bedsores and breathing problems. Most patients can make a full recovery, but some remain damaged.

Two methods of treatment are used in the hospital. During plasma exchange, part of the patient’s blood is removed via a catheter. It is processed and the antibodies that attacked the nerves are removed. The processed plasma is returned again. In the second method, so-called immunoglobolins are administered. These are proteins that the immune system also makes itself to fight off infecting organisms. These are obtained from donations. Intravenous administration can weaken the attack of the immune system.

If patients feel better after acute treatment, rehabilitation is usually necessary. Since the whole body is affected, this ranges from physical therapy to blood thinners to prevent blood clots. Recovery can be slow or incomplete and can vary from a few weeks to years. “Around 30 percent of Guillain-Barré patients still have some residual weakness after three years. Around three percent of those affected may experience a recurrence of muscle weakness and tingling many years after the first attack. Around 15 percent of those affected weakness persists; some may require ongoing treatment,” writes the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Can the disease be fatal?

Yes, Guillain-Barré Syndrome can, in rare cases, be fatal. The average mortality rate from this disease is two percent.

Sources:MSD Manual, CDC, Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Mayo Clinic