Guillain-Barr Syndrome Research Paper
Guillain-Barre syndrome is a rare but serious autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks healthy nerve cells in your peripheral nervous system. This leads to weakness, numbness, and tingling. It can eventually cause paralysis. This cause of this condition is unknown, but it’s typically triggered by an infectious illness, such as the stomach flu or a lung infection.
Guillain-Barre is rare, affecting only about 1 in 100,000 , according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. There’s no cure for GBS, but treatment can reduce the severity of your symptoms and shorten the duration of the illness.
Spinal Tap A spinal tap involves taking a small amount of fluid from your spine in your lower back. This fluid is called cerebrospinal fluid. Your cerebrospinal fluid is then tested to detect protein levels. People with Guillain-Barre typically have higher-than-normal levels of protein in their cerebrospinal fluid. This test is also referred to as a lumbar puncture.
Electromyography An electromyography is a nerve function test. It reads electrical activity from the muscles to help your doctor learn if your muscle weakness is caused by nerve damage or muscle damage.
Nerves Condition Test Nerve conduction studies may be used to test how well your nerves and muscles respond to small electrical pulses.
The …show more content…
immune system produces proteins called antibodies that normally attack harmful foreign substances, such as bacteria and viruses. Guillain-Barre occurs when your immune system mistakenly makes antibodies that attack the healthy nerves of your nervous system.
Plasmapheresis is intended to remove the antibodies attacking the nerves from your blood. During this procedure, blood is removed from your body by a machine. This machine removes the antibodies from your blood and then returns the blood to your body.
In Guillain-Barre syndrome, your immune system attacks your peripheral nervous system. The nerves in your peripheral nervous system connect your brain to the rest of your body and transmit signals to your muscles. The muscles won’t be able to respond to signals they receive from your brain if these nerves are damaged.
The first symptom is usually a tingling sensation in your toes, feet, and legs. The tingling spreads upward to your arms and fingers. The symptoms can progress very rapidly. In some people, the disease can become serious in just a few hours.
The symptoms of Guillain-Barre include:
• tingling or prickly sensations in your fingers and toes
• muscle weakness in your legs that travels to your upper body and gets worse over time
• difficulty walking steadily
• difficulty moving your eyes or face, talking, chewing, or swallowing
• severe lower back pain
• loss of bladder control
• fast heart rate
• difficulty breathing
• paralysis
Long-Term Outlook
Guillain-Barre syndrome can be a devastating disorder because of its sudden and unexpected onset.
In addition, recovery is not necessarily quick. As noted above, patients usually reach the point of greatest weakness or paralysis days or weeks after the first symptoms occur. Symptoms then stabilize at this level for a period of days, weeks, or, sometimes, months. The recovery period may be as little as a few weeks or as long as a few years. About 30 percent of those with Guillain-Barre still have a residual weakness after 3 years. About 3 percent may suffer a relapse of muscle weakness and tingling sensations many years after the initial
attack.
Guillain-Barre syndrome patients face not only physical difficulties, but emotionally painful periods as well. It is often extremely difficult for patients to adjust to sudden paralysis and dependence on others for help with routine daily activities. Patients sometimes need psychological counseling to help them adapt.
Guillain-Barre is called a syndrome rather than a disease because it is not clear that a specific disease-causing agent is involved. A syndrome is a medical condition characterized by a collection of symptoms (what the patient feels) and signs (what a doctor can observe or measure). The signs and symptoms of the syndrome can be quite varied, so doctors may, on rare occasions, find it difficult to diagnose Guillain-Barre in its earliest stages.
Several disorders have symptoms similar to those found in Guillain-Barre, so doctors examine and question patients carefully before making a diagnosis. Collectively, the signs and symptoms form a certain pattern that helps doctors differentiate Guillain-Barre from other disorders. For example, physicians will note whether the symptoms appear on both sides of the body (most common in Guillain-Barre) and the quickness with which the symptoms appear (in other disorders, muscle weakness may progress over months rather than days or weeks). In Guillain-Barre, reflexes such as knee jerks are usually lost. Because the signals traveling along the nerve are slower, a nerve conduction velocity test can give a doctor clues to aid the diagnosis. In Guillain-Barre patients, the cerebrospinal fluid that bathes the spinal cord and brain contains more protein than usual. Therefore a physician may decide to perform a spinal tap, a procedure in which a needle is inserted into the patient's lower back and a small amount of cerebrospinal fluid from the spinal column is withdrawn for study.
Treatment and New Research Scientists are concentrating on finding new treatments and refining existing ones. Scientists are also looking at the workings of the immune system to find which cells are responsible for beginning and carrying out the attack on the nervous system. The fact that so many cases of Guillain-Barre begin after a viral or bacterial infection suggests that certain characteristics of some viruses and bacteria may activate the immune system inappropriately. Investigators are searching for those characteristics. Certain proteins or peptides in viruses and bacteria may be the same as those found in myelin, and the generation of antibodies to neutralize the invading viruses or bacteria could trigger the attack on the myelin sheath. As noted previously, neurological scientists, immunologists, virologists, and pharmacologists are all working collaboratively to learn how to prevent this disorder and to make better therapies available when it strikes. One medical procedure that can be useful in the treatment of GBS is called plasmaphoresis. It is also known as plasma exchange. In plasmapheresis, antibody-laden blood plasma (the liquid portion of the blood) is removed from the body. Red blood cells are separated and put back into the body with antibody-free plasma or intravenous fluid. The treatment can lessen the symptoms of GBS and hasten recovery time. As of December 2003, it is not known why plasmapheresis works. It is suspected that the removal of antibodies may lessen the effects of the body's immune attack on the nerve cells. Other treatments are designed to prevent or lessen complications of GBS. For example, choking during eating, because of throat muscle weakness or paralysis, can be prevented using a feeding tube, and formation of blood clots can be lessened by the use of chemicals that thin the blood. The pain associated with GBS can be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs or, if necessary, stronger-acting narcotic medication. For patients who have breathing difficulties, clinicians may first need to supply oxygen, install a breathing tube (intubation), and/or use a mechanical device that helps in breathing.
Recovery and Rehabilitation
More than 95% of people afflicted with GBS survive. In about 20% of people, however, muscle weakness and fatigue may remain. Some people find that wearing highly elastic gradient compression stockings beneficial. The stockings produce the greatest compression at the toes, with a tapering-off upwards to the thigh. The effect is to reduce the volume of veins, which increases the rate of blood flow through the veins. The increased blood flow can reduce the feeling of numbness in the toes.
This disease rarely kills but it has , it affects 1500 people a year in the UK , and has killed less then 2% of the human race. It is a very painful disease to have an you can recovery from it but in due time, and it is genictic..
Guillain-Barre is rare, affecting only about 1 in 100,000 , according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. There’s no cure for GBS, but treatment can reduce the severity of your symptoms and shorten the duration of the illness.
Spinal Tap A spinal tap involves taking a small amount of fluid from your spine in your lower back. This fluid is called cerebrospinal fluid. Your cerebrospinal fluid is then tested to detect protein levels. People with Guillain-Barre typically have higher-than-normal levels of protein in their cerebrospinal fluid. This test is also referred to as a lumbar puncture.
Electromyography An electromyography is a nerve function test. It reads electrical activity from the muscles to help your doctor learn if your muscle weakness is caused by nerve damage or muscle damage.
Nerves Condition Test Nerve conduction studies may be used to test how well your nerves and muscles respond to small electrical pulses.
The …show more content…
immune system produces proteins called antibodies that normally attack harmful foreign substances, such as bacteria and viruses. Guillain-Barre occurs when your immune system mistakenly makes antibodies that attack the healthy nerves of your nervous system.
Plasmapheresis is intended to remove the antibodies attacking the nerves from your blood. During this procedure, blood is removed from your body by a machine. This machine removes the antibodies from your blood and then returns the blood to your body.
In Guillain-Barre syndrome, your immune system attacks your peripheral nervous system. The nerves in your peripheral nervous system connect your brain to the rest of your body and transmit signals to your muscles. The muscles won’t be able to respond to signals they receive from your brain if these nerves are damaged.
The first symptom is usually a tingling sensation in your toes, feet, and legs. The tingling spreads upward to your arms and fingers. The symptoms can progress very rapidly. In some people, the disease can become serious in just a few hours.
The symptoms of Guillain-Barre include:
• tingling or prickly sensations in your fingers and toes
• muscle weakness in your legs that travels to your upper body and gets worse over time
• difficulty walking steadily
• difficulty moving your eyes or face, talking, chewing, or swallowing
• severe lower back pain
• loss of bladder control
• fast heart rate
• difficulty breathing
• paralysis
Long-Term Outlook
Guillain-Barre syndrome can be a devastating disorder because of its sudden and unexpected onset.
In addition, recovery is not necessarily quick. As noted above, patients usually reach the point of greatest weakness or paralysis days or weeks after the first symptoms occur. Symptoms then stabilize at this level for a period of days, weeks, or, sometimes, months. The recovery period may be as little as a few weeks or as long as a few years. About 30 percent of those with Guillain-Barre still have a residual weakness after 3 years. About 3 percent may suffer a relapse of muscle weakness and tingling sensations many years after the initial
attack.
Guillain-Barre syndrome patients face not only physical difficulties, but emotionally painful periods as well. It is often extremely difficult for patients to adjust to sudden paralysis and dependence on others for help with routine daily activities. Patients sometimes need psychological counseling to help them adapt.
Guillain-Barre is called a syndrome rather than a disease because it is not clear that a specific disease-causing agent is involved. A syndrome is a medical condition characterized by a collection of symptoms (what the patient feels) and signs (what a doctor can observe or measure). The signs and symptoms of the syndrome can be quite varied, so doctors may, on rare occasions, find it difficult to diagnose Guillain-Barre in its earliest stages.
Several disorders have symptoms similar to those found in Guillain-Barre, so doctors examine and question patients carefully before making a diagnosis. Collectively, the signs and symptoms form a certain pattern that helps doctors differentiate Guillain-Barre from other disorders. For example, physicians will note whether the symptoms appear on both sides of the body (most common in Guillain-Barre) and the quickness with which the symptoms appear (in other disorders, muscle weakness may progress over months rather than days or weeks). In Guillain-Barre, reflexes such as knee jerks are usually lost. Because the signals traveling along the nerve are slower, a nerve conduction velocity test can give a doctor clues to aid the diagnosis. In Guillain-Barre patients, the cerebrospinal fluid that bathes the spinal cord and brain contains more protein than usual. Therefore a physician may decide to perform a spinal tap, a procedure in which a needle is inserted into the patient's lower back and a small amount of cerebrospinal fluid from the spinal column is withdrawn for study.
Treatment and New Research Scientists are concentrating on finding new treatments and refining existing ones. Scientists are also looking at the workings of the immune system to find which cells are responsible for beginning and carrying out the attack on the nervous system. The fact that so many cases of Guillain-Barre begin after a viral or bacterial infection suggests that certain characteristics of some viruses and bacteria may activate the immune system inappropriately. Investigators are searching for those characteristics. Certain proteins or peptides in viruses and bacteria may be the same as those found in myelin, and the generation of antibodies to neutralize the invading viruses or bacteria could trigger the attack on the myelin sheath. As noted previously, neurological scientists, immunologists, virologists, and pharmacologists are all working collaboratively to learn how to prevent this disorder and to make better therapies available when it strikes. One medical procedure that can be useful in the treatment of GBS is called plasmaphoresis. It is also known as plasma exchange. In plasmapheresis, antibody-laden blood plasma (the liquid portion of the blood) is removed from the body. Red blood cells are separated and put back into the body with antibody-free plasma or intravenous fluid. The treatment can lessen the symptoms of GBS and hasten recovery time. As of December 2003, it is not known why plasmapheresis works. It is suspected that the removal of antibodies may lessen the effects of the body's immune attack on the nerve cells. Other treatments are designed to prevent or lessen complications of GBS. For example, choking during eating, because of throat muscle weakness or paralysis, can be prevented using a feeding tube, and formation of blood clots can be lessened by the use of chemicals that thin the blood. The pain associated with GBS can be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs or, if necessary, stronger-acting narcotic medication. For patients who have breathing difficulties, clinicians may first need to supply oxygen, install a breathing tube (intubation), and/or use a mechanical device that helps in breathing.
Recovery and Rehabilitation
More than 95% of people afflicted with GBS survive. In about 20% of people, however, muscle weakness and fatigue may remain. Some people find that wearing highly elastic gradient compression stockings beneficial. The stockings produce the greatest compression at the toes, with a tapering-off upwards to the thigh. The effect is to reduce the volume of veins, which increases the rate of blood flow through the veins. The increased blood flow can reduce the feeling of numbness in the toes.
This disease rarely kills but it has , it affects 1500 people a year in the UK , and has killed less then 2% of the human race. It is a very painful disease to have an you can recovery from it but in due time, and it is genictic..