How do you begin to explain this disease with an eponymous name? In a way that the average layperson who is not in the medical field will understand? Someone asked me to please talk about Guillain Barre syndrome (GBS) and I suspect she must have seen someone with the condition and was intrigued.
Explaining this in a way that would be easy to follow, GBS can be described as a disease that occurs because of a cross reaction between an immune response directed to a part of a microorganism causing an infection and a component of the nerve in the body.
To explain further, most patients with GBS would have had a preceding infection often a diarrheal illness from a microorganism (typically Campylobacter jejuni). As the immune system is mounting a response to this infection, that immune response directed to the microorganism then cross reacts with some component of the nerve in a process called molecular mimicry. The immune system kind of thinks the component of that nerve and the microorganism are the same. Talk about a case of fighting against your own self.
It classically presents with an ascending nerve weakness which starts from downwards and ascends upwards. Such patients will present with weakness in the legs that may progress to inability to walk. May be so bad that it ascends and involves the muscles of respiration and they present with difficulty breathing. Such patients may even have problems with speech production called dysarthria.
Patients that have this condition will typically have a history of preceding diarrhea (which would have resolved) about 2 weeks or more prior to onset of weakness.
Note that GBS is not a common condition (before you start giving yourself a heart attack next time you have diarrhea😃).
You cannot predict who will have GBS or not….sadly.
There are different types and clinical presentations of GBS.
If you have symptoms like this, please ensure you get to a hospital fast and request for a neurologist review. Close to 1/3rd of patients may need intensive care unit admission especially once it causes respiratory difficulty.
Don’t go for alternative therapy or go for first aid.. just go straight to a hospital where you can get specialist care.
I hope it wasn’t too filled with medical jargons?
Now you know a little about GBS…..