![]() Occasionally surgery will trigger the syndrome. Most GBS cases usually start a few days or weeks following a respiratory or gastrointestinal viral infection. In most cases of GBS, the immune system damages the myelin sheath that surrounds the axons of many peripheral nerves however, it also may also damage the axons themselves. As a result, the nerves cannot transmit signals efficiently and the muscles begin to lose their ability to respond to the brain's commands. This causes weakness. The myelin sheath surrounding the axon speeds up the transmission of nerve signals and allows the transmission of signals over long distances. The axon (an extension of a nerve cell) is surrounded by a covering, like insulation, called myelin. There is a central conducting core in the nerves called the axon that carries an electric signal. Many of the body's nerves are like household wires. In Guillain-Barré syndrome, however, the immune system mistakenly attacks the healthy nerves. Normally the immune system uses antibodies (molecules produced in an immune response) and special white blood cells to protect us by attacking infecting microorganisms (bacteria and viruses). Since the body's own immune system does the damage, GBS is called an autoimmune disease (“auto” meaning “self”). ![]() It may be this immune attack starts as a fight against an infection and that some chemicals on infecting bacteria and viruses resemble those on nerve cells, which, in turn, also become targets of attack. What they do know is that the affected person's immune system begins to attack the body itself. ![]() Researchers don't know why it strikes some people and not others. GBS is estimated to affect about one person in 100,000 each year. It can strike at any age (although it is more frequent in adults and older people) and both sexes are equally prone to the disorder. Who is more likely to get Guillain-Barré syndrome? Problems with digestion and/or bladder control.Abnormal heartbeat/rate or blood pressure.Pain that can be severe, particularly at night.Pricking or pins and needles sensations in the hands and feet.Difficulty swallowing, speaking, or chewing.These sensations tend to disappear before the major, longer-term symptoms appear. Children will also show symptoms with difficulty walking and may refuse to walk. Unexplained sensations often occur first, such as tingling in the feet or hands, or even pain (especially in children), often starting in the legs or back. Deep muscular pain may be experienced in the back and/or legs. Sensation changes-Since nerves are damaged in GBS, your brain may receive abnormal sensory signals from the rest of your body. This results in unexplained, spontaneous sensations, called paresthesias, that you may feel as tingling, a sense of insects crawling under the skin (called formications), and pain. Most people reach the greatest stage of weakness within the first two weeks after symptoms appear by the third week 90 percent of affected individuals are at their weakest. Muscles controlling breathing can weaken to the point that you might need a machine to help you breathe. Occasionally symptoms start in the upper body and move down to the legs and feet. Symptoms often affect the arms, breathing muscles, and even the face, reflecting more widespread nerve damage. You may first notice weakness as difficulty climbing stairs or with walking. Symptoms are usually equal on both sides of the body (called symmetric). Weakness-The weakness seen in GBS usually comes on quickly and worsens over hours or days. In these cases, the disorder is life-threatening-potentially interfering with breathing and, at times, with blood pressure or heart rate. GBS can increase in intensity over a period of hours, days, or weeks until certain muscles cannot be used at all and, when severe, the person is almost totally paralyzed. After recovery, some people will continue to have some degree of weakness. Fortunately, most people eventually recover from even the most severe cases of GBS. GBS can range from a very mild case with brief weakness to nearly devastating paralysis, leaving you unable to breathe independently. Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare neurological disorder in which your immune system mistakenly attacks part of the peripheral nervous system-the network of nerves located outside of the brain and spinal cord.
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