neurologic disorders
Guillain Barré Syndrome (GBS)
Introduction
Guillain-Barré syndrome is an acute, usually rapidly progressive but self-limited inflammatory polyneuropathy characterized by muscular weakness and mild distal sensory loss. Cause is thought to be autoimmune. Diagnosis is clinical. Treatment includes IV immune globulin, plasma exchange, and, for severe cases, mechanical ventilation. (See also Overview of Peripheral Nervous System Disorders .) Guillain-Barré syndrome is the most common acquired inflammatory neuropathy. There are several variants. In some variants, Overview of Demyelinating Disorders predominates; other variants affect the axon. 