Guillain-Barre Syndrome - Causes, Symptoms, Treatment - Diagnosis
csf fluid gbs weakness
Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is a cause of progressive muscle weakness and paralysis which evolves over days or weeks, and resolves over the next several weeks or months. About 85% of patients recover completely, with no residual problems.
Diagnosis of GBS is made by virtue of the cluster of symptoms (ascending muscle weakness and then paralysis) and by examining the fluid which bathes the brain and spinal canal (cerebrospinal fluid or CSF). This fluid is obtained by inserting a needle into the lumbar (lower back) region. When examined in a laboratory, the CSF of a GBS patient will reveal an increased amount of protein over normal, with no increase over the normal amount of white blood cells usually present in CSF.
Additional Topics
The classic scenario in GBS involves a patient who has just recovered from a typical, seemingly uncomplicated viral infection. The most common preceding infection is a Herpes infection (caused by cytomegalovirus or Epstein-Barr virus), although a gastrointestinal infection with the bacteria Campylobacter jejuni is also common. About 5% of GBS patients have a surgical procedure as a preceding event…
Symptoms of GBS begin five days to three weeks following the seemingly ordinary viral infection (or other preceding event), and consist originally of weakness of the limbs (legs first, then arms, then face), accompanied by prickly, tingling sensations (paresthesias). Symptoms are symmetric (affecting both sides of the body simultaneously), an important characteristic which helps distinguish GBS fr…
Treatment of GBS is usually only supportive in nature, consisting of careful monitoring of the potential need for mechanical assistance in the event of paralysis of the muscles of respiration, as well as attention to the patient's fluid and cardiovascular status. Plasmapheresis, performed early in the course of GBS, has been shown to shorten the course and severity of GBS, and consists of w…
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User Comments
8 months ago
Excellent, keep up doing the great work , very valuable information i liked it a lot.
9 months ago
i want to view and down load the doc
over 2 years ago
How does recover the paralysis of respiratory system?