Guillain Barre Syndrome

Polyneuritis is an inflammation of the nerve roots. It affects mainly the motor nerves and has an ascending course. The aetiology is unknown. Remember the possibility of polyneuritis in a patient presenting with limb weakness or numbness. The patient is treated in a hospital where mechanical ventilator treatment is available.

The period that followed World War II has witnessed a dramatic change in neurology. From being a discipline in which its partici pants were castigated for being interested solely in diagnosis, usually of disorders of unknown causation without effective therapy, neurology has evolved into a highly active treatment orientated subject. This transition is clearly reflected in the ap proach to diseases of the peripheral nervous system, and to the Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) in particular. In a state-of-the art review made in 1952, Elkington (1952) observed that no less than 56% of neuropathies remained undiagnosed, and amongst those of unknown causation he listed GBS. With intensive in vestigation and follow-up, the proportion of neuropathies seen at tertiary referral centres which elude diagnosis is now as little as 13% (McLeod et al. 1984). Overall, of course, the proportion is even less. This change is partly because of the introduction of new diagnostic techniques and partly because of the application of the great expansion in knowledge evident throughout medicine. In this book, Professor Richard Hughes has assembled current information on GBS and related disorders, including chronic in flammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), the existence of which was not appreciated until Austin's perspicacious study published in 1958. In the Introduction, Professor Hughes gives an account of the way in which recognition of the GBS emerged and matured, and shows that it followed, pari passu, with the realisation that paral ysis and sensory loss may result from peripheral nerve disorders.

Companion to: Neurologic complications of critical illness / Eelco F.M. Wijdicks. 3rd ed. 2009.

Part one of A First Step - Understanding Guillain-Barr Syndrome is a true, blow-by-blow account of the Author's encounter, as a healthy Canadian businessman, with a rare and devastating disease, Guillain-Barr Syndrome (G.B.S. for short). It describes his seven-month long struggle for life in 'Intensive Care' after receiving a grim prognosis, and his subsequent dogged determination to overcome the effects of that disease. The second part is devoted to short stories based on dreams and hallucinations experienced whilst he was in 'Intensive Care', which in themselves reveal something of what a patient was going through. They also serve to illustrate the narrow boundary between reality and the dream world, and which whilst making for entertaining reading, could possibly be the subject of further study. Although the Author is a layperson, in medical terms, it is believed this book will be an important aid to medical professionals and care-givers, providing as it does, new insights and a unique perspective on the effects, not only of the disease, Guillain-Barr Syndrome, but also of the handling and care of any long-term intensive care patient, and their subsequent rehabilitation. For the curious, it will answer many questions. For G.B.S. patients and their families it should provide inspirational reading. The foreword to the book has been written by Dr Frank Warshawski, MD, FRCPC, Director of Intensive Care, Rockyview General Hospital, Calgary. In addition to that prestigious involvement, the Author has been fortunate in receiving permission to use other material authored by exceptionally well qualified medical professionals, for which due credit is given in the 'Acknowledgements' section of the book, enabling him to produce not only an interesting publication, but an informative and educational one. In short, a 'must read' and deserving of a place on any medical bookshelf.

The Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) or Landry-Guillain-Barre-Strohl syndrome, also known as post-infectious polyneuropathy or acute idiopathic polyneuritis, is an acute acquired, frequently severe, monophasic autoimmune illness of the peripheral nervous system (PNS). GBS manifests itself with the clinical picture characterised by gait disturbance, pain, weakness, rapidly ascending symmetric flaccid muscle paralysis, areflexia with distal predominance (involving lower motor neuron), sensory disturbance, variable autonomic involvement, and increased cerebrospinal fluid protein without pleocytosis . Although GBS had previously been viewed as a unitary disorder with variations, it is today considered as a group of syndromes with several distinctive variants or subtypes. The aim of this book is to describe and discuss this disease that is not exactly rare but is almost the only inflammatory polyneuropathy and the most frequent cause of acute flaccid paralysis in general medical practice.

Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) is a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system. Feelings of tingling and weakness increase in intensity until the muscles cannot be used at all and the patient is almost totally paralyzed. No one knows why Guillain-Barre strikes some people and not others, or what sets the disease in motion. What we do know is that GBS is now the most common cause of acute paralysis in Western countries since the virtual elimination of poliomyelitis with vaccination programs. Guillain-Barre Syndrome, co-authored by a survivor of this illness, addresses all aspects of this condition, including initial symptoms, diagnostic evaluation and criteria, general and illness specific treatments, and typical outcomes. Fortunately, most GBS patients have a good recovery, but the pathway to this goal can be slow and scary. This book covers a wide range of issues including: Features unique to GBS such as pain without injury and other abnormal sensations. Workplace adjustment with incomplete recovery Intensive care unit management Practical caregivers guidelines The rehabilitation process Sexual dysfunction, and much more Guillain-Barre Syndrome is a comprehensive book, written in lay terms, covering everything from diagnosis to emotional issues. It is a book that stands alone. This latest volume in the American Academy of Neurology Press Quality of Life Guide series is an essential tool for all individuals, families, and caregivers coping with Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

Now in paperback, the second edition of the Oxford Textbook of Critical Care is a comprehensive multi-disciplinary text covering all aspects of adult intensive care management. Uniquely this text takes a problem-orientated approach providing a key resource for daily clinical issues in the intensive care unit. The text is organized into short topics allowing readers to rapidly access authoritative information on specific clinical problems. Each topic refers to basic physiological principles and provides up-to-date treatment advice supported by references to the most vital literature. Where international differences exist in clinical practice, authors cover alternative views. Key messages summarise each topic in order to aid quick review and decision making. Edited and written by an international group of recognized experts from many disciplines, the second edition of the Oxford Textbook of Critical Careprovides an up-to-date reference that is relevant for intensive care units and emergency departments globally. This volume is the definitive text for all health care providers, including physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and other allied health professionals who take care of critically ill patients.

At the age of twenty-six, less than three weeks after giving birth to her first child, Holly Gerlach noticed that her fingertips were numb and her legs were weakening. In less than three days, she was paralyzed and could no longer breathe on her own. She was diagnosed with Guillain-Barr syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder that occurs when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks part of the nervous system. She was admitted to the hospital, where she spent two and a half months in the intensive care unit on a ventilator. She couldnt move, she couldnt speak, and worst of all, she couldnt hold her newborn daughter. She felt like her life was over as she couldnt be the mother that she had always wanted to be. As the weeks went on, the paralysis began to wear off. And once she was able to breathe on her own again, she started on her road to recovery. With intense physiotherapy, she learned how to use her muscles again and eventually how to walk again. She was determined, and worked hard, and after a long four months in the hospital, she was able to reach her goal of getting back to her husband and daughter. Holly Gerlach shares her inspirational story, where she faced the most terrifying and challenging experiences of her life. The book follows her entire journey, starting with the beginning symptoms, through the many months she spent in the hospital. The story continues on well past her release from the hospital, where she fought to regain her independence and eventually got her life back.