Guillain-Barre' syndrome

Guillain-Barre´ syndrome

Acute inflammatory demyleinating polyradiculopathy Neurology A peripheral neuropathy of abrupt onset which follows a precipitating event–eg, a viral infection–eg, with HIV, HBV, EBV, or Camplyobacter jejuni, vaccination, bee stings, sarcoidosis, leukemia, lymphoma Clinical Rapidly ascending weakness of all 4 extremities with involvement of respiratory, facial, and bulbar muscles, with sparing of sphincter muscles Management Supportive, meticulous pulmonary hygiene, physical therapy, aggressive management of ulcers Prognosis Generally good with few sequelae in those who respond to therapy. See Polyneuropathy.

McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.