 "Guillain-Barré Syndrome")
Peru has declared a national health emergency for 90 days due to an increase in cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), a rare neurological disorder. The country has reported over 180 cases of the autoimmune disease, according to reports.
Earlier in 2019, Peru had similarly declared a health emergency in five regions, including Lima, in response to an outbreak of GBS.
But what is GBS, and what are its symptoms? Is it treatable? Let's take a look.
What is Guillain-Barre Syndrome?
Guillain-Barre Syndrome or GBS is a condition in which a person's immune system attacks their body's peripheral nerves. The immune system is the body's natural defence against illness and infection. The peripheral nervous system is a network of nerves located outside of the brain and spinal cord.
In GBS, the myelin sheath - the layer of fat and protein that surrounds nerve cells - becomes inflamed and can no longer carry stimuli.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that the disease is a rare neurological disease that is more common in adults and males but can affect people of all ages.
What are its symptoms?
According to the WHO, the first symptoms of GBS are "weakness or tingling sensations" that usually begin in the leg and later spread to the arms and face.
Other symptoms include shaky walking or inability to walk, severe pain, and, in some cases, paralysis of the legs, arms, or facial muscles.
"In up to 30 per cent of cases, GBS can affect chest muscles, leading to breathing difficulties," said the WHO.
People with severe GBS may have difficulty performing normal bodily functions such as speaking, swallowing, or defecating. In such cases, patients must be treated in intensive-care units.
Patients' conditions usually worsen in the third week after the onset of GBS symptoms. However, people begin to improve in week four, after which the recovery process begins.
The total recovery time can range from six months to a year, and it can sometimes take up to three years.
What causes GBS?
GBS is usually caused by an infection. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around two out of every three people diagnosed with the neurological disease had diarrhoea or a respiratory illness several weeks before the onset of GBS symptoms.
GBS symptoms typically appear within three weeks of infection.
People infected with cytomegalovirus, Campylobacter jejuni bacteria, Epstein-Barr virus, Zika virus, or other viruses could also be affected by GBS.
According to the WHO, Zika virus infection is a "trigger" of Guillain-Barre syndrome.
While the precise cause of the neurological disease is unknown, one theory proposes that "viral and bacterial infections change how the immune system reacts to the peripheral nerves. This results in the immune system misidentifying myelin and axons as foreign substances and targeting them”, according to Medical News Today.
Occasionally, GBS symptoms can be seen in people who were vaccinated or got surgery sometime before.
“Very rarely people have developed GBS in the days or weeks after getting certain vaccines. However, the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks. For example, studies show that people have a greater chance of getting GBS after getting the flu than they do after getting vaccinated against the flu,” said the CDC.
What is the treatment?
There are two common treatments for this severe autoimmune disease.
1. Plasma exchange
In plasma exchange, also known as plasmapheresis, medical professionals take blood from the body to remove harmful substances attacking the nerves.
WHO recommends starting this seven to 14 days after the onset of symptoms.
2. High-dose immunoglobulin therapy
The other treatment option is high-dose immunoglobulin therapy, which involves injecting healthy antibodies from blood donors into the patient's veins. The damaged antibodies causing GBS are then blocked by high doses of immunoglobulins.
Other methods, such as occupational therapy and speech and language therapy, can also help patients recover and address any long-term issues, said the NHS.
(With agency inputs)
