What are the symptoms of Guillain-Barré syndrome

The name Guillain-Barré syndrome is relatively unfamiliar to many people, and it seems that they rarely hear the name of this disease. Guillain-Barré syndrome is generally caused by a viral infection, which causes damage to the nervous system. Most patients of this disease are children or young adults. Before contracting the disease, they usually have symptoms of cold, runny nose or diarrhea. Hormone therapy is generally used to treat the disease. When the condition stabilizes, the treatment method will gradually switch to a combination of Chinese and Western medicine. Now let’s talk about the symptoms of Guillain-Barré syndrome.

1. Sensory impairment:

It is generally mild, and often starts with numbness and tingling in the extremities. There may also be a stocking-like loss of sensation, sensitivity, or loss of sensation, as well as spontaneous pain, with tenderness particularly in the anterior wall muscle angle and gastrocnemius muscle. Segmental or tract sensory disturbances may occasionally be seen.

2. Movement disorders:

Muscle paralysis of the limbs and trunk is the main symptom of this disease. It usually starts from the lower limbs and gradually spreads to the trunk muscles, upper limbs and cranial nerves, and can spread from one side to the other. The disease usually reaches its peak within 1 to 2 weeks. The paralysis is generally more severe proximally than distally, with low muscle tone. If breathing, swallowing and pronunciation are affected, it may cause paralysis of spontaneous breathing, difficulty in swallowing and pronunciation, and endanger life.

3. Launch obstacles:

The tendon reflexes of the limbs are often symmetrically weakened or absent, while the abdominal wall and cremaster reflexes are mostly normal. A small number of patients may develop pathological reflex signs due to involvement of the vertebral tract.

4. Autonomic dysfunction:

In the early or recovery period, there is often excessive sweating and a strong sweat odor, which may be the result of stimulation of the sympathetic nerves. A small number of patients may have short-term urinary retention in the early stages, which may be caused by temporary dysfunction of the autonomic nerves that control the bladder or damage to the spinal nerves that control the external sphincter; the stool is often constipated; some patients may experience unstable blood pressure, tachycardia and abnormal electrocardiogram.

5. Cranial nerve symptoms:

Half of the patients have cranial nerve damage, most commonly peripheral paralysis of the tongue, pharyngeal nerve, vagus nerve, and one or both facial nerves. Next are the oculomotor, trochlear, and abducens nerves. Optic disc edema is occasionally seen, which may be caused by inflammatory changes in the optic nerve itself or brain edema. It may also be related to a significant increase in cerebrospinal fluid protein, which blocks the arachnoid villi and affects cerebrospinal fluid absorption. The disease can be diagnosed by the sudden onset of symmetrical sensory, motor and nutritional disorders in the distal limbs and the disappearance of tendon reflexes after an infectious disease.