Definition
Guillain-Barré syndrome is an autoimmune disease that affects the peripheral nervous system, but which can also affect the autonomic nervous system and respiratory muscles, causing devastating damage to the patients' body.
Causes
Guillain-Barré syndrome originates from an autoimmune response to the peripheral nervous system of the same individual.
Although the exact cause underlying the aforementioned autoimmune response has not yet been accurately identified, it is believed that some types of bacterial and viral infections may be involved in the etiology of the syndrome.
In particular, it appears that the microorganisms implicated in the onset of the disease are: Campylobacter jejuni, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, mycoplasmas, HIV, hepatitis A, B and C viruses, Haemophilus influenzae and the flu virus.
Symptoms
Guillain-Barré syndrome causes a progressive degeneration of neuronal axons. This degeneration is responsible for most of the typical symptoms of the disease, including: progressive weakness and paralysis of the limbs, facial paralysis, difficulty breathing up to respiratory failure (caused by paralysis of the respiratory muscles), difficulty swallowing, language disorders, arrhythmia, orthostatic hypotension, hypoesthesia, hypotonia, neuropathic pain and paraesthesia.
Information on Guillain-Barré Syndrome - Drugs and Care is not intended to replace the direct relationship between health professional and patient. Always consult your doctor and / or specialist before taking Guillain-Barré Syndrome - Drugs and Care.
drugs
In the treatment of Guillain-Barré syndrome, early diagnosis is an essential factor. In fact, drug therapy must begin as soon as possible after the appearance of the first symptoms.
More in detail, the therapy undertaken against Guillain-Barré syndrome involves the administration of intravenous immunoglobulins.
Eventually, the doctor may decide to add a second corticosteroid treatment to the immunoglobulin treatment.
Another therapeutic approach that has proved to be very effective in the treatment of Guillain-Barré syndrome is to treat patients with plasmapheresis. In fact, through this procedure it is possible to "purify" the blood by removing and filtering the antibodies responsible for the autoimmune response from the patient's body.
Immunoglobulins
The administration of immunoglobulins constitutes the first-line pharmacological treatment that is undertaken to combat Guillain-Barré syndrome.
For the treatment of Guillain-Barré syndrome, immunoglobulins (Ig Vena ®, Venital ®, Kiovig ®) are administered via an intravenous infusion only by a doctor or nurse and only in a hospital setting, or within facilities specialized.
The amount of immunoglobulins to be administered will be established by the doctor on an individual basis, depending on the body weight and health status of each patient.
Finally, it should be remembered that treatment with immunoglobulins has guaranteed therapeutic efficacy only if it is administered within fourteen days of the onset of the first symptoms of the syndrome.
