Guillain-Barre+Syndrome

=__**Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) **__=

Root Cause of the Disease
This disease is caused by an excessive autoimmune reaction. An immune response is generated in response to a pathogen but once the pathogen has been destroyed the immune response continues mistaking the body’s own nervous system for a foreign invader.

Affected Cell Types
GBS affects the nervous system. In particular, in individuals with this disorder the immune response attacks the myelinated regions of nerve cells causing impairments in signal transduction. Complications from this diseas can result in respiratory, and cardiovascular issues as well.

History
Guillain-Barre syndrome was first fully described by three French neurologists, Georges Guillain, Jean-Alexandre Barre, and Andre Strohl two of whom the disease was named. Interestingly enough, it has been suggested that Franklin D. Roosevelt did not actually suffer from polio but rather from Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

Signs and Symptoms
Common symptoms of Guillain-Barre Syndrome include numbness and tingling in the extremities similar to the sensation felt when limbs fall asleep, in addition to pain, weakness, and even partial paralysis.

Standard Treatments
Standard treatments of GBS include monitoring of patient for possible breathing complications, immunotherapy in the form of plasma exchange and introduction of intravenous immunoglobulins, and phsyio-therapies (such as OT or PT) to regain function as many individuals have to relearn how to walk.

**Current Research **
Current research being completed on rabbits to try and induce the demyelinating disease to provide a better understand of what causes this disease and why some people get it at seemingly random points in their lives (Hughes and Cornblath, 2005). There has also been work with antibodies that would convey some sort of immunity against GBS (Hughes and Cornblath, 2005).

References:
Alberts, B., Johnson, A., Lewis, J., Raff, M., Roberts, K., and Walter, P. (2008) Molecular Biology of the Cell, 5th Ed. New York: Garland Science

Beckman, M. (2003) Did FDR have Guillain-Barre? Science Now. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Hughes, R. A. C., and Cornblath, D. R. (2005) Guillain-Barre Syndrome. www.thelancet.com, 366: 1653-1666.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Winer, J. B. (2001) Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Journal of Clinical Pathology: Molecular Pathology, 54: 381-385.