Pharmacological Reports

2010, 62, 220232

ISSN 1734-1140

Copyright 2010
by Institute of Pharmacology
Polish Academy of Sciences

Review

Guillain-Barr syndrome (GBS)

Anand B. Pithadia, Nimisha Kakadia
Department of Pharmacology, Parul Institute of Pharmacy, At and PO Limda, Waghodia, Baroda, Gujarat, India
Correspondence: Anand B. Pithadia, e-mail: [email protected]

Abstract:
Guillain-Barr syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune and post-infectious immune disease. The syndrome includes several pathological
subtypes, the most common of which is a multifocal demyelinating disorder of the peripheral nerves. In the present review, the main
clinical aspects and the basic features of GBS are discussed along with approaches to diagnosis and treatment. Furthermore, the pathophysiology of GBS is reviewed, with an emphasis on the production of symptoms and the course of the disease.
Key words:
Guillain-Barr syndrome, Campylobacter jejuni, antiganglioside antibodies, immunoglobulin treatment, plasma exchange

Abbreviations: AIDP acute inflammatory demyelinating

polyneuropathy, AMAN acute motor axonal neuropathy,
AMSAN acute motor and sensory axonal neuropathy, CMV
cytomegalovirus, GBS Guillain-Barr syndrome, IVIg intravenous immunoglobulin, LOS lipooligosaccharide, MFS
Miller-Fisher syndrome, PE plasma exchange SIADH syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone

Introduction
Guillain-Barr syndrome (GBS) is an acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP), an
autoimmune disease affecting the peripheral nervous
system that is usually triggered by an acute infectious
process. GBS is an inflammatory disorder of the peripheral nerves. The peripheral nerves convey sensory
information (e.g., pain, temperature) from the body to
the brain and motor (i.e., movement) signals from the
brain to the body [32]. GBS is characterized by weakness and numbness or a tingling sensation in the legs

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and arms and possible loss of movement and feeling

in the legs, arms, upper body, and face. It is frequently
severe and usually presents as an ascending paralysis
marked by weakness in the legs that spreads to the upper limbs and the face along with complete loss of
deep tendon reflexes. The exact cause of GBS is unknown, but it is sometimes triggered by a respiratory
infection or the stomach flu. This potentially deadly
disorder is relatively rare, occurring worldwide in only
one or two people per 100,000, with slightly more
males than females affected. All age groups can be affected; the incidence rises with age, and there is a minor peak among young adults [1].
There is no cure for the disorder, but several treatments can ease symptoms and reduce the duration of
the illness. Most people recover completely from
even the most severe cases of GBS [55]. Its relation to
infection and its status as an autoimmune disease have
stimulated much research over the years, which have
resulted in the discovery of antiganglioside antibodies
in at least one third of GBS patients. These antibodies
appear to cross-react with antigens in the lipopolysac-

Review on Guillain-Barr syndrome

Anand B. Pithadia and Nimisha Kakadia

charides of some antecedent infective agents, providing a possible mechanism for the disease [39, 57].

Epidemiology
Based on well-controlled population-based studies,
the incidence of GBS in Europe is 1.21.9 cases per
100,000, whereas worldwide, the incidence is 0.64
cases per 100,000. Atypical presentations, such as
Fisher syndrome, are much less frequent, with an incidence of 0.1 per 100,000. Men are 1.5 times more
likely to be affected than women, and the incidence
increases with age from 1 per 100,000 in those aged
below 30 years to about 4 cases per 100,000 in those
older than 75 years [58]. In China, the incidence in
adults is 0.66 cases per 100,000. About two thirds of
GBS cases have an antecedent infection within six
weeks prior to symptom onset, generally an upper respiratory tract infection or gastroenteritis. Although
the pathological organism is not often identified, the
usual infectious agents associated with subsequent
GBS include Epstein-Barr virus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Campylobacter jejuni and cytomegalovirus.
In China, summer epidemics of the AMAN form of
GBS were found to be secondary to infection with
Campylobacter jejuni. In addition to antecedent infections, GBS develops after vaccination. Concerns about
vaccine-induced GBS were first raised following the
197677 influenza vaccinating season, when a statistically significant increased risk of GBS was reported
within 68 weeks of receiving the swine flu vaccine. Subsequently, studies that investigated the relationship between GBS and influenza immunization
reported low relative risks that were not statistically
significant. A combined analysis of the 199293 and
199394 vaccine campaigns in the USA reported
a marginally increased risk of GBS (1 extra case of
GBS for every 1 million vaccines) following influenza vaccination during the 6 weeks following immunization, a result recently confirmed in a Canadian
study. Further, GBS has been reported after immunization with the hepatitis vaccine and the meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4) [10, 45, 50, 51, 59, 79,
81, 85]. However, the incidence of GBS after immunization was not different from the background incidence of GBS, thereby precluding any firm conclusions about the significance of these findings.

However, because of the close temporal association

of GBS with selected vaccines, the risks and benefits
of immunization merit individual review by the clinician and patient. GBS has also been reported following surgery and head trauma [19, 60, 78, 84]. The
mechanisms that link GBS with surgery and trauma
remain unclear. However, several hypotheses have
been proposed. Surgery and trauma may alter both
cellular and humoral immunities [9]. Specifically,
head trauma imparted by injury or surgery may be associated with depressed cell-mediated immunity and
production of antimyelin antibodies [18, 22, 35, 76].
Furthermore, the major stress of head trauma or surgery may result in activation of latent processes that
in turn affect the immune system as has been documented following spinal cord injury [30, 31]. It is surprising in this regard that GBS has not been linked to
peripheral nerve injury; one might postulate that exposure of the peripheral nerve to circulation would
permit the creation of autoantibody against nerve tissue and thus stimulate GBS [91].

Pathophysiology
GBS is a post-infectious, immune-mediated disease.
Cellular and humoral immune mechanisms probably
play a role in its development. Most patients report
experiencing an infectious illness in the weeks prior
to the onset of GBS. Many of the identified infectious
agents are thought to induce antibody production
against specific gangliosides and glycolipids, such as
GM1 and GD1b, distributed throughout the myelin in
the peripheral nervous system [77]. Most of the
pathogens that are known to cause GBS gain entry to
the body through mucosal or gut epithelium. The innate
immune response results in the uptake of the pathogens
by immature antigen presenting cells (APCs). After migration to lymph nodes, a mature, differentiated APC
can present peptides in MHC class II molecules and
activate CD4 T cells that recognize antigens from the
infectious pathogen. B cells can also be activated by
newly activated Th2 cells. This produces a cellmediated humoral response to the pathogen [49]. Two
thirds of GBS cases are associated with prior acute infection by several bacterial species and viruses. Campylobacter jejuni, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenza, and Varicella-zoster virus have been found in
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patient serum after the onset of GBS [33, 53]. In the

case of C. jejuni infection, antibodies are produced,
leading to activation of the complement system, and
phagocytosis of the bacteria takes place. However, in
rare cases the antibodies produced against certain C.
jejuni antigens will also bind to gangliosides of the
nervous tissue, causing complement activation and
damage by phagocytes. This results in damage to peripheral nervous tissues, which leads to demyelination
and axonal damage [82].
The most commonly proposed mechanism for the
development of autoimmune disease is molecular
mimicry [83, 94]. Molecular mimicry refers to the
situation where the pathogen and host share nearly
identical antigens, which induces an antibody and T
cell immune response that is cross reactive. There is
more than one way in which an immune response can
become cross-reactive. The pathogen and host can
have homologous or identical amino acid sequences,
or the host B cell receptors and T cell receptors can
recognize non-homologous peptides [2]. The strongest evidence for the molecular mimicry hypothesis
has come from discoveries in research with C. jejuni
strains, the most common pathogen associated with
GBS (specifically AMAN) [70, 95].

Peripheral nervous system inflammatory

response
The peripheral nervous system refers to the network
of nervous tissue beyond the central nervous system
(brain and spinal cord). The peripheral nerves are
covered by a blood-nerve barrier that prevents the
normal infiltration of macromolecules, but lymphocytes can move in and out of peripheral nervous tissue
[36]. This allows for immune protection of the macrophages and endothelial cells that reside in the tissue.
In the case of GBS, which is an inflammatory disorder, autoantibodies are able to cross the blood-nerve
barrier while in its normal state. The blood-nerve barrier is made up of endothelial cells with tight junctions that can be modified under inflammatory conditions to allow passage of effecter cells and macromolecules [6]. However, when the autoantibody cross
the barrier and bind to gangliosides of neural tissue,
they can activate complement cascades and resident
macrophages by their FcIII receptors, inducing cyto-

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kine production and inflammation within the nerve

tissue. It has also been found that endoneural macrophages have the capacity to express CD1 (CD1a, b,
and c), which allows them to present glycolipids such
as gangliosides to some T cell subsets along with dendritic cells [41].
The inflammation due to cytokines causes recruitment of leukocytes and damage to the nerve tissue by
one of four mechanisms: CD8 T cell lysis, complement-mediated attack, cytokine and free radical damage via phagocytes, and antibody-mediated interference in nerve conduction. There are several places in
the peripheral nervous system where the inflammatory response of GBS can begin, depending on the
subtype that develops and the infectious pathogen that
is involved. The targets of such immune attacks are
thought to be gangliosides, which are complex glycosphingolipids present in large quantities on human
nerve tissues, especially in the nodes of Ranvier. An
example is the GM1 ganglioside, which can be affected in as many as 2050% of cases, especially in
those preceded by Campylobacter jejuni infections.
Another example is the GQ1b ganglioside, which is
the target in the Miller Fisher syndrome variant [53].
The virulence of C. jejuni is thought to be based on
the presence of specific antigens in its capsule that are
shared with nerves. Immune responses directed
against the capsular components produce antibodies
that cross-react with myelin to cause demyelination.
Ganglioside GM1 appears to cross-react with C. jejuni lipopolysaccharides antigens, resulting in immunological damage to the peripheral nervous system
[48]. This process has been termed molecular mimicry. The end result of such autoimmune attacks on
the peripheral nerves is inflammation of myelin and
conduction block, leading to muscle paralysis that
may be accompanied by sensory or autonomic disturbances. However, in mild cases, axonal function remains intact, and recovery can be rapid if remyelination occurs.
In severe cases, such as in the AMAN or AMSAN
variants (see below), axonal degeneration occurs, and
recovery depends on axonal regeneration. Recovery
becomes much slower, and there is a greater degree of
residual damage. Recent studies of the disease have
demonstrated that approximately 80% of GBS patients experience myelin loss, whereas in the remaining 20%, the pathological hallmark of the disease is
indeed axon loss. Pathological findings in GBS include lymphocytic infiltration of spinal roots and pe-

Review on Guillain-Barr syndrome

Anand B. Pithadia and Nimisha Kakadia

Tab. 1. Types/variants of GBS

Types

Symptoms

Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating

Polyradiculoneuropathy (AIDP)

Most common variant, 85% of cases.

Primarily motor inflammatory demyelination secondary axonal damage (bystander
effect). Maximum of 4 weeks of progression

Acute Motor-Sensory Axonal Neuropathy (AMSAN)

Motor and sensory involvement with severe course respiratory and bulbar involvement.
Primary axonal degeneration with poorer prognosis

Acute Motor Axonal Neuropathy (AMAN)

Motor only with early and severe respiratory involvement. Primary axonal degeneration.
Often affects children, young adults. Up to 75% positive C. jejuni serology, often also
anti-GM1, anti-GD1a positive

Miller-Fisher Variant

Ophthalmoplegia, sensory ataxia, areflexia. 5% of all cases. 96% positive for anti-GQ1b
antibodies

Pharyngeal-Cervical-Brachial Variant

Often associated with IgG anti-GT1a.

Presents with proximal descending weakness. Must distinguish from botulism and
diphtheria

Acute Pandysautonomia

Widespread sympathetic and parasympathetic failure

ripheral nerves, followed by macrophage-mediated,

multifocal stripping of myelin [74]. This phenomenon
results in defects in the propagation of electrical nerve
impulses, with eventual conduction block and flaccid
paralysis. In some patients with severe cases of the
disease, a secondary consequence of the severe inflammation is axonal disruption and loss. A subgroup
of patients may experience a primary immune attack
directly against nerve axons, resulting in a similar
clinical presentation.
GBS is a form of autoimmune disease with a delayed hypersensitivity reaction, a rare manifestation
of serum sickness, or a transient syndrome resembling
serum sickness with loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain accompanied by weakness
(tired feeling), chills, low-grade fever and possible
evidence of brain involvement as indicated by lethargy and migraine headaches. One theory of the cause
of migraine is a central nervous system (CNS) disorder or Bickerstaffs brain stem encephalitis, a regional
variant of GBS. Typical migraine pain is occipital, or
in the back of the head. Alterations of consciousness
accompany this headache type through its affect on
the brainstem, which is implicated in the maintenance
of arousal; this is a worrisome feature of this type of
headache, called a Bickerstaff migraine.

Pathogens and autoimmunity in GBS

subtypes
Several variants of GBS are recognized. These disorders share similar patterns of evolution, recovery,
symptom overlap, and probable immune-mediated
pathogenesis. Types and variants of GBS are listed in
Table 1 [38].

AIDP-associated infection
Cytomegalovirus (CMV), a cause of respiratory tract
infections, is the second most common pathogen
linked to cases of GBS in Europe and Japan. Autoantibodies against the human ganglioside GM2 have
been isolated in patients with a CMV infection and
GBS symptoms. Development of AIDP is seen predominantly in the cranial and sensory nerves as opposed to motor nerves. The immune response elicited
in AIDP is focused on the Schwann cell or myelin
sheath. Damage to the myelin or Schwann cells results in demyelination, which is characteristic of
AIDP [90].
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AMAN-associated infection
Infection by C. jejuni, a cause of bacterial gastroenteritis, is the leading cause of AMAN worldwide.
Studies show that the production of autoantibodies by
C. jejuni infection occurs in only 1 out of 3285 patients with C. jejuni enteritis. It has been found that
only certain strains of C. jejuni are associated with
GBS/AMAN cases [54]. The strains are divided by
serotype based on their low molecular weight type
lipopolysaccharide (LPS), called a lipooligosaccharide (LOS) [67]. Serotypes most commonly associated with AMAN are HS:19 and HS:41. A polymorphism in the gene cstII (Thr51) has been found to be
closely associated with development of anti-GM1 and
anti-GD1a autoantibodies [53]. The hypothesis of molecular mimicry is based on the fact that the bacterial
LOS induces IgG, IgA, and IgM autoantibody against
human gangliosides due to LOS ganglioside-mimicking
epitopes [67]. Autoantibody have been isolated in
GBS patients serum and found to recognize C. jejuni
LOS and human gangliosides GM1, GM1b, GD1a,
and GalNAc-GD1a epitopes, providing evidence for
molecular mimicry. Furthermore, Moran et al. concluded that the IgG LOS-induced anti-GM1 antibodies bound to sites at the nodes of Ranvier in humans.
This is important because other studies have concluded that antibodies bound to nodes of Ranvier disrupt Na+ and K+ channels, interfering with nerve conduction.

MFS (Miller-Fisher syndrome)-associated

infection
MFS is a common variant of GBS, and is observed in
about 5% of all GBS cases. The syndrome consists of
ataxia, ophthalmoplegia (problems controlling eye
movements), and areflexia (loss of neurological reflexes). Ataxia is primarily noted during gait and in
the trunk, with lesser involvement of the limbs. Motor
strength is characteristically spared. The usual course
is one of gradual and complete recovery over
weeks or months. A close association exists between
antiganglioside antibodies and the Fisher variant.
Anti-GQ1b antibodies triggered by certain C. jejuni
strains have a relatively high specificity and sensitiv-

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Pharmacological Reports, 2010, 62, 220232

ity for the disease. Dense concentrations of GQ1b

gangliosides are found in the oculomotor, trochlear,
and abducens nerves, which may explain the relationship between anti-GQ1b antibodies and the ophthalmoplegia presented by MFS patients in addition to
symptoms similar to those seen in other forms of
GBS. Autoantibodies have been isolated from these
patients that bind to human ganglioside GQ1b as well
as the GQ1b epitope present within the LOS of C. jejuni isolated from MFS patients. The dominant C. jejuni serotypes associated with MFS are HS:2 and
HS:4. The gene polymorphism associated with the development of anti-GD1b autoantibodies was found to
be cstII (Asn51). This provides a clear link to the
clinical presentation of MFS because the GQ1b ganglioside is found predominantly in human oculomotor
nerves. The axonal form of GBS, also referred to as
acute motor-sensory axonal neuropathy (AMSAN),
often presents with rapid and severe paralysis, with
delayed and poorer recovery. Like AMAN, axonal
GBS is associated with preceding C. jejuni diarrhea.
Pathological findings show severe axonal degeneration of motor and sensory nerve fibers, with little demyelination [11, 17]. A pure sensory variant of GBS
has been described in the medical literature, typified
by a rapid onset of sensory loss and areflexia in
a symmetric and widespread pattern [72]. Lumbar
puncture studies show albuminocytologic dissociation
in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and electromyography (EMG) shows characteristic signs of a demyelinating process in the peripheral nerves [93].
Dysfunction of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems results in severe postural hypotension,
bowel and bladder retention, anhydrosis, decreased
salivation and lacrimation, and pupillary abnormalities. The pharyngeal-cervical-brachial variant is distinguished by isolated facial, oropharyngeal, cervical
and upper limb weakness without lower limb involvement. Other unusual clinical variants with restricted
patterns of weakness are observed only in rare cases.

Role of anti-ganglioside antibodies

Anti-ganglioside antibodies that react to selfgangliosides are found in autoimmune neuropathies
[56, 82]. These antibodies were first found to react
with cerebellar cells. These antibodies show the

Review on Guillain-Barr syndrome

Anand B. Pithadia and Nimisha Kakadia

strongest association with certain forms of GBS [12,

47]. Autoantigenic gangliosides that are currently
known are GD3, GM1, GQ3 and GT1 [24].

Tab. 2. Differential diagnosis of acute onset flaccid paralysis. Disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) may present with acute
generalized flaccid paralysis [38]
Differential diagnosis of Guillain-Barr Syndrome
Peripheral neuropathy

Anti-GD3
Anti-GD3 antibodies have been found in association
with specific forms of GBS. In vivo studies of isolated
anti-GM1 and GD3 antibodies indicate that these antibodies can interfere with motor neuron function.
Anti-GD1a antibodies were highly associated acute
motor axonal neuropathy, while high titers of antiGM1 were more frequent, indicating that GD1a possibly targets the axolemma and nodes of Ranvier [34].

Vasculitic neuropathy
Diphtheric neuropathy
Acute intermittent porphyria
Critical illness neuropathy
Lymphomatous neuropathy
Heavy metal intoxication
Post-rabies vaccine neuropathy
Diabeticuremic neuropathy with acute peritoneal dialysis

Disorders of the neuromuscular junction

Myasthenia gravis
Eaton-Lambert syndrome
Biological or industrial toxin poisoning

Disorders of muscle

Anti-GM1
Levels of anti-GM1 are elevated in patients with various forms of dementia. Antibody levels correlate with
increased severity of GBS [92]. In Japan, levels of
GM1 were elevated in patients with prodromal diarrhea. Titers of GM1 are also elevated in other diseases
(rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus). Additionally, a highly significant association
was found between rheumatoid arthritis and peripheral neuropathies [37]. The autoimmune role of antiGM1 is still unclear [13].

Anti-GQ1b
Anti-GQ1b antibodies are found in Miller-Fisher syndrome. Studies of these antibodies reveal large disruptions of the Schwann cells. Anti-GQ1b IgG levels were
elevated in GBS patients with ophthalmoplegia [15].

Diagnosis
GBS is called a syndrome rather than a disease because it is not clear that a specific disease-causing
agent is involved. Several disorders have symptoms
similar to those found in GBS, Collectively, the signs

Inflammatory myopathy
Toxic myopathy/acute rhabdomyolysis
Periodic paralysis
Hypokalemia
Hypophosphatemia
Infections

Disorders of the central nervous system

Brainstem stroke
Brainstem encephalitis
Acute myelopathy (high cervical)
Acute anterior poliomyelitis

and symptoms form a certain pattern that helps to differentiate Miller-Fisher syndrome from other disorders [61]. The diagnosis of GBS may be challenging,
and given an extensive differential diagnosis (Tab. 2),
a thorough medical assessment may be needed to exclude mimic disorders [7, 8].
Nerve conduction studies (NCS) and CSF analysis
are important to confirm the diagnosis of GBS. NCS
and electromyography (EMG) are important to establish the diagnosis of GBS, and different neurophysiological diagnostic criteria have been proposed [63].
NCS may support a suspected clinical diagnosis of
GBS, identify the GBS subtype and help to exclude
mimic disorders. NCS rely on abnormalities in motor
nerves to identify features of demyelination (Tab. 3),
with sensory nerve conduction studies helping to differentiate different forms of axonal GBS, that is,
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Tab. 3. Neurophysiological criteria for Guillain-Barr syndrome (GBS) [90]

Distal CMAP
amplitude (mV)

Conduction
block

Temporal
dispersion

Motor
conduction
velocity (m/s)

Distal motor
latency (ms)

F-wave latency
(ms)@

AIDP

Normal or reduced

* Proximal:
distal ratio of
CMAP
amplitudes

< 70%
Lower
limit of normal

> 150%
Upper limit of
normal

> 120%
Upper
limit of normal

AMSAN+

> 30%
Increase in
proximal
negative peak
CMAP duration

Absent or reduced

GBS
subtype

AMAN

Absent or reduced

AIDP acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, CMAP compound muscle action potential, AMSAN acute sensory and motor axonal neuropathy, AMAN acute motor axonal neuropathy. @ Although prolonged F-wave latency is a diagnostic feature of AIDP, absence of Fwave responses in two or more nerves when the CMAP amplitude is > 20% of the lower limit of normal is suggestive of a proximal block. * For diagnosis of probable conduction block, a > 30% reduction in the proximal to distal CMAP amplitude ratio is required, while a definite conduction
block is diagnosed when there is a > 50% reduction in proximal to distal CMAP amplitude. If the CMAP amplitude is markedly reduced (<1 mV),
conduction block cannot be diagnosed. + For the AMSAN form of GBS, the sensory potentials are either absent or markedly reduced. Further,
there should be no features of AIDP, except for the presence of one demyelinating feature in a single nerve, if the distal CMAP amplitude is <
10% of the lower limit of normal. In AMAN, the sensory responses are within normal limits. In AIDP, the abnormalities must be present either in
two or more nerves or, if only one nerve is excitable and the distal CMAP is > 10% of the lower limit of normal, at least two neurophysiological
abnormalities must be present in one nerve

AMAN from AMSAN. The diagnostic yield of NCS

is increased by studying at least three sensory and
four motor nerves in addition to F-waves and Hreflexes [11, 46].
The classical findings on NCS include the presence
of a partial motor conduction block, abnormal temporal dispersion of motor responses, prolonged distal
motor and F-wave latencies, and reductions in maximum motor conduction velocity. Diagnostic criteria
typically used for research purposes include a combination of these findings (Tab. 2). Although in over
85% of patients NCS reveal demyelination consistent
with the AIDP form of GBS, in up to 13% of cases the
initial NCS are normal; in these cases, retesting in 1 to
2 weeks might be required to confirm the diagnosis
[33, 88].

Cerebrospinal fluid examination

In addition to NCS and EMG, CSF analysis may confirm a diagnosis of GBS. A raised CSF protein concentration is present in 80% of patients, with the
mononuclear cell count being either normal (albuminocytologic dissociation) or < 50 cells/mm [37].
The CSF is normal in the first week of the illness [29].
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Other investigations that may be helpful in diagnosing

GBS are outlined in Table 4.

Clinical features
The disease is characterized by weakness that affects
the lower limbs first and rapidly progresses in an ascending fashion. Patients generally notice weakness
in their legs, manifesting as rubbery legs or legs
that tend to buckle, with or without numbness or tingling. As the weakness progresses upward, usually
over a period of hours to days, the arms and facial
muscles also become affected. Frequently, the lower
cranial nerves may be affected, leading to bulbar
weakness (oropharyngeal dysphagia, which includes
difficult swallowing, drooling, and/or trouble maintaining an open airway) and respiratory difficulties.
Most patients require hospitalization, and about 30%
require ventilatory assistance. Sensory loss usually
takes the form of loss of proprioception (position
sense) and areflexia (complete loss of deep tendon reflexes), an important feature of GBS. Any loss of pain
and temperature sensation is usually mild. In fact,
pain is a common symptom in GBS, usually presenting as deep aching pain in the weakened muscles,
which patients compare to the pain resulting from

Review on Guillain-Barr syndrome

Anand B. Pithadia and Nimisha Kakadia

Tab. 4. Investigations of Guillain-Barr syndrome

Studies related to establishing diagnosis

Nerve conduction studies and electromyography

Cerebrospinal fluid analysis
Stool culture and serology for Campylobacter jejuni
Serology for human immunodeficiency virus, Hepatitis A and B,
Mycoplasma, pneumoniae, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus
Anti-ganglioside antibodies: GQ1b, GM1, GD1a, GT1b
Vasculitic screen
Antinuclear antibodies, extractable nuclear antibodies,
anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies, erythrocyte sedimentation
rate, C-reactive protein
Nerve and muscle biopsy
Electrolyte, urea, creatinine levels
Blood sugar levels
Urine porphobilinogen and serum delta-aminolevulinic acid for
porphyria
Drugs and toxins
Acetylcholine receptor and muscle-specific tyrosine kinase
antibodies
MRI of the brain and spinal cord

Studies related to patient management

Measuring respiratory function

Arterial blood gases
Pulmonary function tests (vital capacity)
Biochemical screening (monitoring for hyponatremia)
Chest radiograph
Electrocardiogram

overexercising. These pains are self-limited and

should be treated with standard analgesics. Bladder
dysfunction may occur in severe cases. Acute paralysis in GBS is usually related to the presence of Na+
channel blocking factor in the cerebrospinal fluid.
Morbid and iatrogenic events involving IV salt and
water may occur unpredictably in this patient group,
resulting in SIADH (syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone). This syndrome results from a deficit of sodium or a surplus of water due to iatrogenic
fluid overload. It occurs in patients with GBS, meningitis, encephalitis, pneumonia, septicemia, severe malaria, bronchitis, or as a direct result of clinical insult.
SIADH is often the first symptom of GBS. Na+ overload is almost always iatrogenic. Rapid correction of
hyponatremia can cause osmotic brain demyelination
[14, 16, 18, 21]. When infection precedes the onset of
GBS, signs of infection subside before neurological
features appear. Other possible precipitating factors

include surgery, rabies or swine influenza vaccination, viral illness, Hodgkins disease or some other
malignant disease, and systemic lupus erythematosus
[51]. Muscle weakness, the major neurological sign,
usually appears in the legs first (ascending type) and
then extends to the arms and facial nerves within 24 to
72 h. Sometimes muscle weakness develops in the
arms first (descending type) or in the arms and legs simultaneously. In milder forms of the disease, muscle
weakness may affect only the cranial nerves or not occur [27].
The clinical course of GBS is divided into three
phases:
I. The initial phase begins when the first definitive
symptom develops; it ends one to three weeks later,
when no further deterioration is noted.
II. The plateau phase lasts several days to two weeks.
III. The recovery phase is believed to coincide with
remyelination and axonal process regrowth. This
phase extends over four to six months; patients with
severe disease may take up to two years to recover,
and recovery may not be complete.
Significant complications of GBS include mechanical ventilatory failure, aspiration pneumonia,
sepsis, joint contractures, and deep vein thrombosis.
Unexplained autonomic nervous system involvement
may cause sinus tachycardia or bradycardia, hypertension, orthostatic hypotension, and loss of bladder and
bowel sphincter control. Up to two thirds of patients
with GBS report an antecedent illness or event one to
three weeks prior to the onset of weakness. Upper respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses are the most
commonly reported conditions. Symptoms of this initial illness have generally resolved by the time of
medical presentation for the neurological condition
[68, 69]. Autonomic changes can include tachycardia,
bradycardia, facial flushing, paroxysmal hypertension, orthostatic hypotension, anhydrosis and/or diaphoresis. Urinary retention and paralytic ileus can
also be observed. Bowel and bladder dysfunction is
rarely present as an early symptom or persists for a significant period of time. Dysautonomia is more frequent in patients with severe weakness and respiratory failure. Upon presentation, 40% of patients have
respiratory or oropharyngeal weakness. Typical complaints include dyspnea on exertion, shortness of
breath, difficulty swallowing and slurred speech. Ventilatory failure with required respiratory support is observed in up to one third of patients at some time during the course of their disease. Facial weakness (cra-

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nial nerve VII) is observed most frequently, followed

by symptoms associated with cranial nerves III, V, VI,
IX, X, and XII. Limitation of eye movement most
commonly results from a symmetric palsy associated
with cranial nerve VI. Ptosis from cranial nerve III
(oculomotor) palsy is also often associated with
a limitation of eye movements. Pupillary abnormalities, especially those accompanying ophthalmoparesis, are relatively common as well.

a single pilot study addressing combined treatment

with methylprednisolone and intravenous immunoglobulin was not randomized. However, it suggested
a possible advantage [86]. A randomized study that
has recently been presented but not yet published just
fails to find a significant advantage of the combination. Post-hoc manipulation of the data for known risk
factors does suggest an advantage to combination
therapy; however, such analyses are known to be
rather unreliable and can be misleading [4, 40, 42].

Effective treatments
Plasma exchange
Currently, there is no known cure for GBS. The goal
of the treatment plan is to lessen the severity of the illness and to assist in the patients recovery. Treatment
of GBS can be subdivided into techniques for managing the severely paralyzed patient requiring intensive
care and respiratory support and specific therapy
aimed at ameliorating or reversing the nerve damage.
Treatments may include:
1. High-dose immunoglobulin therapy Miller-Fisher
syndrome involves administration of proteins by intravenous injections to attack invading organisms;
2. Physical therapy to increase muscle flexibility and
strength; and
3. Plasmapheresis a process in which whole blood is
removed from the body and the red and white blood
cells are separated from the plasma and returned to
the body

Steroids
Six eligible trials have addressed the value of steroids
in treating acute GBS. These involved 195 patients.
Mean disability at 4 weeks, the proportion of patients
who were improved by one grade at 4 weeks, and the
improvement in grade at 12 months all remained unaltered by steroids, which appear to be safe but ineffective. This contrasts with the treatment of patients with
more chronic demyelinating neuropathies, who respond well to steroids. This lack of response to steroids is not easily explained; it may be that any benefit
that steroids have in reducing inflammation is outweighed by some other detrimental effect on repair
processes [26]. A Cochrane analysis revealed that
228

Pharmacological Reports, 2010, 62, 220232

The first effective treatment option for GBS was plasmapheresis, or plasma exchange (PE). This treatment
involves removing plasma from the blood and using
centrifugal blood separators to remove immune complexes and possible autoantibodies. The plasma is
then reinjected into the patient along with a 5% albumin solution to compensate for lost protein concentration. Many studies have found that this treatment involves high risk and substantial adverse effects for hemodynamically unstable patients [82]. Studies have
found that the most effective number of treatments for
moderate and severe cases of GBS is four. A posttreatment worsening of symptoms was seen as well in
10% of patients in some studies. Risks and results like
these began the search for more effective and safer
treatments [3, 4, 5, 20, 23, 52, 62, 66].
The value of plasma exchange has been addressed
in six randomized studies, again reviewed by the Cochrane group. Overall, 649 patients received plasma
exchange, and their outcomes were compared with
supportive treatment alone because PE was the first
treatment shown to be effective in GBS [67, 71].

Intravenous immunoglobulin
Another treatment for GBS is iv administration of immunoglobulins (IVIg). The antibodies used have been
shown to modulate the humoral response in their ability to inhibit autoantibodies and suppress autoantibody production. By inhibiting autoantibodies, the
complement-mediated damage can be attenuated.

Review on Guillain-Barr syndrome

Anand B. Pithadia and Nimisha Kakadia

IVIgs also block binding of Fc (gamma) receptors,

preventing phagocytic damage by macrophages. Studies have shown that an optimal amount of IVIg is
400 mg/kg administered over six days. In comparison
studies, PE and IVIg were proven to be similar in
overall effectiveness, and no increase in effectiveness
was seen when combining therapies. However, it was
noted that IVIg was considered safer due to its reduced risks and complications [25, 28, 43, 80]. IVIg
was introduced for the treatment of auto-immune
thrombocytopenia and tried for the treatment of
chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy.
A favorable response in patients with GBS was reported in 1988 and led to the first randomized controlled trial [87, 89].
A meta-analysis of IVIg for GBS found three randomized trials that compared IVIg with PE, and the
only trial comparing IVIg with supportive treatment
was considered inadequate to establish its value. With
prompt treatment by plasmapheresis or IVIg and supportive care, the majority of patients will regain full
functional capacity. However, death may occur if severe pulmonary complications and dysautonomia are
present [46, 52, 66, 73]. Supportive care with monitoring of all vital functions is the cornerstone of successful management in the acute patient. Of greatest
concern is respiratory failure due to paralysis of the
diaphragm. Early intubation should be considered in any
patient with a vital capacity (VC) < 20 ml/kg, a Negative Inspiratory Force (NIF) < 25 cm H2O, more
than a 30% decrease in either VC or NIF within 24 h,
rapid progression of disease, or autonomic instability
[44]. Once the patient is stabilized, treatment of the
underlying condition should be initiated as soon as
possible. Either high-dose IVIg at 400 mg/kg for 5 days
or plasmapheresis can be administered as they are
equally effective, and a combination of the two is not
significantly better than either alone. Therapy is no
longer effective 2 weeks after the first motor symptoms appear, so treatment should be instituted as soon
as possible. IVIg is usually used first because of its
ease of administration and safety profile, with a total
of 5 daily infusions for a total dose of 2 g/kg body
weight (400 mg/kg each day). The use of intravenous
immunoglobulins is not without risk and can occasionally cause hepatitis or, in rare cases, renal failure
if used for longer than five days.
Following the acute phase, the patient may also require rehabilitation to regain lost functions. This treat-

ment will focus on improving ADL (activities of daily

living) functions, such as brushing teeth, washing and
getting dressed. Depending on the local health care
system, a team of therapists and nurses will be assembled according to the patients needs. An occupational
therapist can offer equipment to help the patient
achieve ADL independence. A physiotherapist can
plan a progressive training program and guide the patient to correct, functional movement, avoiding harmful compensations that might have a negative effect in
the long run. A speech and language therapist is essential for the patient to regain speaking and swallowing ability if he or she was intubated and received
a tracheotomy. The speech and language therapist can
also offer advice to the medical team regarding the
swallowing abilities of the patient and can help the
patient to regain their communicative ability. After rehabilitation, the patient should be able to function in
his or her own home and attend necessary rehabilitation appointments as needed [64, 65].

Role of complement inhibitors in GBS

[75, 77]
Clinical data indicate that complement activation followed by membrane attack complex (MAC) formation is an important mechanism for neuronal and glial
injury in GBS. SC5b-9 (a marker for complement activation) has been detected in GBS sera, and C9neo
antigen (a component of MAC) has been found in
segments of myelinated nerve fibers of a GBS patient.
In GBS patients, deposits of complement components
along myelinated fibers, C9neo antigen at sites of active myelin breakdown, and MAC on Schwann cell
membranes have been reported. GBS is divided into
two subtypes, acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy and acute motor axonal neuropathy
(AMAN).
Modeling of AMAN was established in rabbits sensitized with GM1 ganglioside. Anti-GM1 IgG antibodies cause complement-mediated disruption of
clusters of voltage-gated Na+ channels at the nodes of
Ranvier in peripheral motor nerve fibers of the disease model. Because nodal channels are responsible
for nerve conduction, disruption of their clusters is
likely to cause limb weakness at onset in AMAN rabbits. Several serine proteases activate classical and al-

Pharmacological Reports, 2010, 62, 220232

229

ternative pathways of the complement system, and

a synthetic serine protease inhibitor, nafamostat mesilate (NM: 6-amidino-2-naphthyl-p-guanidino-benzoate
dimethanesulfonate), which has been used clinically
in Japan for more than 20 years with no serious adverse effects, has anti-complement activity.
Because NM efficiently inhibits the early classical
pathway components C1r and C1s, it was shown to
inhibit C3 fragment deposition at the higher rate of
0.8 mg/kg/h for 7 days in an animal experiment. NM
inhibits C3/C5 convertase in the classical and alternative
pathways of the complement system. Preserved Na+
channel clusters associated with restricted deposits of
activated C3 fragments were present, suggesting that
NM inhibits complement activation steps beyond the C3
convertase step leading to MAC formation. In other
words, NM inhibited C3 fragment deposition followed
by MAC formation, thereby preventing axonal injury.

4.
5.

6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

Conclusion
12.

High-quality intensive care remains the most important aspect of the management of severe cases of
GBS. Clinical trials indicate that plasma exchange is
more effective than supportive treatment alone in reducing the median time taken for patients to recover.
Intravenous immunoglobulin appears to be as effective as plasma exchange for treating GBS and may
have fewer side effects. Corticosteroids alone do not
alter the outcome of GBS, and there is insufficient
evidence that their use in combination with immunoglobulin is effective. Other treatments such as CSF
filtration remain experimental and unproven. Ongoing
research on GBS will identify appropriate molecular
targets of intervention and novel diagnostics and,
more importantly, will enable the development of new
and more effective as well as cost-effective therapies.

13.
14.
15.

16.
17.
18.
19.

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Received:
May 21, 2009; in revised form: October 20, 2009.