Guillain-Barré syndrome

Encyclopedia of Medicine, Apr 06, 2001 by Rosalyn S. Carson-DeWitt

About 85% of GBS patients make reasonably good recoveries. However, 30% of adult patients, and a greater percentage of children, never fully regain their previous level of muscle strength. Some of these patients suffer from residual weakness, others from permanent paralysis. About 10% of GBS patients begin to improve, then suffer a relapse. These patients suffer chronic GBS symptoms. About 5% of all GBS patients die, most from cardiac rhythm disturbances.

Patients with certain characteristics tend to have a worse outcome. These include people of older age, those who required breathing support with a mechanical ventilator, and those who had their worst symptoms within the first seven days.

Because so little is known about what causes GBS to develop, there are no known methods of prevention.

• Books
• Bosch, E. P. and H. Mitsumoto. "Disorders of Peripheral Nerves." In Neurology in Clinical Practice: The Neurological Disorders, edited by Walter G. Bradley, et al. Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1996.
• Griffin, J. W. "Immune-Mediated Neuropathies." In Cecil Essentials of Medicine. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders, 1996.
• Guberman, A. An Introduction to Clinical Neurology. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1994. Periodicals
• Fulgham, J. R. "Guillain-Barré syndrome." Critical Care Clinics (January 1997): 1-15.
• Rees, J.H. "Campylobacter jejuni infection and Guillain-Barré syndrome." New England Journal of Medicine (November 23, 1995): 1374-79.
• Stern, V. "Terror of the Unknown." The Guardian (February 13, 1996): T10 .
• Walling, A. D. "Comparisons of Treatments for Guillain-Barré Syndrome." American Family Physician (May 15, 1997): 2510 . Organizations
• American Academy of Neurology. 1080 Montreal Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55116. (612)695-1940. http://www.aan.com.
• Guillain-Barré Syndrome Foundation International. P.O. Box 262, Wynnewood, PA 19096. (610)667-0131. http://www.adsnet.com/jsteinhi/html/gbs/gbsfi.html.>