Autoimmune Disease Essay

Understanding autoimmune disease is the subject of intense study within the medical community and although there have been great strides in the direction of uncoiling the mystery of autoimmune responses, there is still much to be discovered. Cell-mediated autoimmune disease is defined as a disease in which one’s immune system attacks the healthy cells of their own body. Such diseases as Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Celiac Disease, and Lupus fall into this category. With Zika virus becoming more ubiquitous, focus on one specific autoimmune disorder, called Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), has become more prevalent. This paper will discuss the current epidemiology, risk factors, signs and symptoms, diagnostic testing, treatments, nursing implications and care, and prognosis for GBS.
Description of Guillain-Barré Syndrome
Acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy is the most common type of
According to Netto et al., approximately 82% of mechanically ventilated patients experienced either respiratory or metabolic complications. The most common respiratory complications are tracheobronchitis then ventilator associated pneumonia, followed by lung collapse, pneumothorax, and plural effusion. Electrolyte imbalances were noted as common complications with hyponatremia occurring in 66.46% of patients followed by hypokalemia at 38.73% among this population. Another significant finding included a 43.93% prevalence of hypoalbuminemia and a 43.35% prevalence of anemia, both findings were most significant in patients receiving plasmapheresis therapy. Other notable complications that occurred with less occurrence include urinary tract infection (27.67%), sepsis (23.12%), dysautonomia (15.61%) followed by a less notable occurrence of seizures, paralytic ileus, and cardiac