Guillain-Barré syndrome causes
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editors-In-Chief: Priyamvada Singh, MBBS [2]
Overview
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute, autoimmune, polyradiculoneuropathy affecting the peripheral nervous system, usually triggered by an acute infectious process.
Causes
- The exact cause of Guillain-Barré syndrome is unknown.
- While it is not fully known what causes GBS, it is known that about two-thirds of people who get GBS do so several days or weeks after they have been sick with diarrhea or a lung or sinus illness. Usually, signs of the original infection have disappeared before the symptoms of Guillain-Barre begin.
- An infection with the bacteria Campylobacter jejuni, which can cause diarrhea, is one of the most common illnesses linked to GBS.
- Except for the swine flu vaccine used in 1976, no other flu vaccines have been clearly linked to GBS.
- Although rare, people can also get GBS after having the flu or other infections such as Epstein Barr virus, AIDS, Herpes simplex, and Mononucleosis
- It may also occur with other medical conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus or Hodgkin's disease. A similar syndrome may occur after surgery, or when critically ill.