The Guillain-Barre syndrome

Article Abstract:

The neurological disorder Guillain-Barre syndrome is the most common cause of generalized paralysis. Patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome experience muscle weakness, pain and paralysis. Extreme cases can affect breathing, eye movement and the autonomic nervous system; about 3% to 8% of patients die from complications. For these reasons, patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome should be watched closely in the hospital. Diagnosis of Guillain-Barre syndrome can be confirmed by evaluation of nerve conduction and examination of cerebrospinal fluid. Approximately two-thirds of Guillain-Barre patients develop the disorder after a viral infection, and some have an underlying condition such as cancer. Most Guillain-Barre patients recover within weeks or months, but have long-lasting, usually minor complications. Activated T-cells, or cells of the immune system, may be responsible for the inflammation that occurs in the protective sheath that surrounds nerve cells. Research indicates that plasma exchange and infusion of gamma globulin may be more effective therapy than the no-longer-used corticosteroid treatment.

Care and treatment

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A 74-year-old woman with acute, progressive paralysis after diarrhea for one week

Article Abstract:

A 74-year-old woman was admitted to a hospital with diarrhea and nausea, fever, abdominal pain, weakness and fatigue. Physical examination revealed paralysis of her cranial nerves. She had had a gastrointestinal infection prior to the onset of her symptoms. Analysis of stool specimens revealed the presence of Campylobacter jejuni, which often infects the gastrointestinal tract. She was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, which causes paralysis. It often follows an infection, particularly an infection with Campylobacter jejuni.

Health aspects, Campylobacter infections, Campylobacteriosis

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A 31-year-old man with an apparent seizure and a mass in the right parietal lobe

Article Abstract:

A 31-year-old man who had traveled in East Africa was diagnosed with schistosomiasis when he had a seizure about five months after his trip. An MRI scan of his head showed a mass in his brain, which was found on biopsy to be the egg of the flatworm that causes schistosomiasis.

Schistosomiasis

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