Guillain Barre Syndrome
Fever is one of the most common problems and there is not a single person who does not suffer from this in his life at least once. But in some people symptoms such as tingling sensation, temporary paralysis of legs and arms may appear after an attack of fever. These are the symptoms of Guillian Barre syndrome.
Brain and backbone are very important for the movement of the body. Nerves that control the movements are also very important as they carry the signals from brain to the muscles. Muscles move according to the signals brought by the muscles. If the nerves get damaged due to some problems, symptoms such as paralysis of legs and arms, tingling sensation, losing muscles movements etc are seen. Nerve disorders are usually found in diabetic patients and alcoholics. But these may sometime appear in people after a viral infection.
When symptoms of Guillian Barre syndrome appear, the patient should be taken to the Neurologist immediately. NCS test is prescribed for the patient and depending on the test results, Guillian Barre syndrome can be confirmed. Some other test may also be required to rule out other diseases that have the same symptoms.
Treatment for Guillian Barre syndrome
If nerve damage due to Guillian Barre is only minor, the condition can be improved with few injections and physiotherapy. Improvement can be observed in two to three months. But if the severity is more and if the patient finds breathing also difficult, he should be admitted into the ICU. The patient is given treatment with medicines for five days. Treatment for Guillian Barre syndrome is expensive. The dosage of the medicine is decided depending on the body weight of the patient. Medicines may cost between Rs. 2 lakhs to 3 lakhs.
There is alternative treatment for Guillian Barre syndrome for those who cannot bear the expense of medicines. It is called the Plasmapheresis procedure. This helps in preventing the condition of the patient from deteriorating further. In this procedure, patient’s blood is taken out and plasma is separated. Blood without plasma is again transfused into the patient’s body. If necessary, healthy plasma taken from donors is also given to the patient. But this treatment should begin immediately after Guillian Barre syndrome is confirmed for effective results. This treatment costs nearly Rs. 1 lakh and the patient should be given physiotherapy treatment for muscle movement.
