Guillain-Barré Syndrome: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment

Tingling and weakness often begin in the legs and spread, but other patterns occur. It differs from spinal cord injury and myasthenia gravis; examination helps locate the neurological problem.

Related reading: Myasthenia gravis as a different cause of weakness.

Limb weakness, altered sensation, pain and walking difficulty may occur, sometimes with facial weakness or swallowing problems. Breathing, heart rate and blood pressure can deteriorate without severe pain.

An immune response damages nerves or their covering, often following respiratory or gastrointestinal infection. The syndrome itself is not contagious. A preceding event does not establish causation on its own.

All ages can be affected; adults and males are affected more often. Recent infections, including Campylobacter diarrhea, are associated. Rare vaccine associations require weighing the often greater risk from infection.

Neurological examination assesses strength and reflexes. Nerve studies and spinal fluid tests can support diagnosis, but early results may be inconclusive and testing must not delay urgent monitoring or treatment.

Hospital care combines respiratory and cardiovascular monitoring with intravenous immunoglobulin or plasma exchange when indicated, followed by rehabilitation. Corticosteroids are not an effective routine treatment; dosing and timing require specialist decisions.

Respiratory failure, abnormal heart rhythm or blood pressure and immobility-related clots may occur. Many people recover well, but persistent weakness, pain or fatigue is possible and recovery times vary.

There is no guaranteed prevention. Hand hygiene and food safety reduce some triggering infections. Discuss vaccination individually after a previous episode rather than automatically avoiding every vaccine.