GUILLAIN BARRE SYNDROME (GBS)

SUMMARY

1. Most common autoimmune, inflammatory polyneuropathy, has demyelinating (most common) and axonal variants. Motor/sensory/autonomic illness with associated urinary retention.

2. A mild gastrointestinal or respiratory infection precedes the polyneuropathy. Occasionally assoc. with meningococcal & influenza vaccines.

3. In patients with any type of GBS, the CSF has a normal cell count and a high protein ("protein-cell dissociation"). Anti-GQ1b IgG is a unique serum protein measurable in over 80% of MFV cases of GBS.

Reference(s)

Wilkinson, I., Furmedge, D. and Sinharay, R. (2017). Oxford handbook of clinical medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Get it on Amazon.
Feather, A., Randall, D. and Waterhouse, M. (2020). Kumar And Clark’s Clinical Medicine. 10th ed. S.L.: Elsevier Health Sciences. Get it on Amazon.
Hannaman, R. A., Bullock, L., Hatchell, C. A., & Yoffe, M. (2016). Internal medicine review core curriculum, 2017-2018. CO Springs, CO: MedStudy.
Therapeutic Guidelines. Melbourne: Therapeutic Guidelines Limited. https://www.tg.org.au [Accessed 2021].