Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) may be described as a collection of clinical syndromes that manifests as an acute inflammatory polyradiculoneuropathy with resultant weakness and diminished reflexes. With poliomyelitis under control in developed countries, GBS is now the most important cause of acute flaccid paralysis.
Although the classic description of GBS is that of a demyelinating neuropathy with ascending weakness, many clinical variants have been well documented in the medical literature. Acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy is the most widely recognized form in Western countries, but the variants known as acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN) and acute motor-sensory axonal neuropathy (AMSAN) also are well recognized.
Based on a clinical spectrum of symptoms and findings, many believe that strictly defined subgroups of GBS exist. However, these subgroups are not easily distinguished.
GBS remains a diagnosis made primarily through the assessment of clinical history and findings (see Clinical). Serum autoantibodies are not measured routinely in the workup of GBS, but results may be helpful in patients with a questionable diagnosis or a variant of GBS (see Workup).
Approximately one third of patients require admission to an intensive care unit, primarily because of respiratory failure. After medical stabilization, patients can be treated on a general medical/neurologic floor, but continued vigilance remains important in preventing respiratory, cardiovascular, and other medical complications. Treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin or plasma exchange may hasten recovery. (See Treatment.)
Historical background
In 1859, Landry published a report on 10 patients with an ascending paralysis.[1] Subsequently, in 1916, 3 French physicians (Guillain, Barré, and Strohl) described 2 French soldiers with motor weakness, areflexia, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) albuminocytological dissociation, and diminished deep tendon reflexes.[2] The identified syndrome was later named Guillain-Barré syndrome. Historically, GBS was a single disorder; however, current practice acknowledges several variant forms.