What are the symptoms of Guillain-Barré syndrome

Many of you may not have heard of Guillain-Barré syndrome, which is an autoimmune disease of the nervous system that mainly damages the nerve cells and peripheral nerve cells. Common symptoms include sensory disorders, movement disorders, emission disorders, etc. When such symptoms occur, timely treatment should be sought.

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is a common and frequently occurring disease. It refers to an acute onset, group of autoimmune diseases of the nervous system. A syndrome characterized by damage to nerve roots and peripheral nerves, accompanied by protein-cell separation in cerebrospinal fluid. Also known as Guillain-Barré syndrome. People of all ages and both sexes can get the disease, but it is more common in young and middle-aged men.

(1) Sensory impairment: Generally mild, often starting with numbness or 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: 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) Ejaculation disorder: 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.