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Context:
Alerts from three Pune hospitals to local authorities about a higher than-usual occurrence of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a rare but treatable autoimmune disease, blew up into an unprecedented cluster of 73 cases by almost trebling in four days from the initial 26 cases that caused alarm.
Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS)
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a very rare neurological condition. It happens when the immune system of a body attacks the peripheral nervous system. This will result in the symptoms of weakness, tingling, numbness, and paralysis in some people. GBS is life-threatening but most people can fully recover.
- Symptoms
- Weakness or tingling in the legs that may advance to the arms and upper part of the body.
- Difficulty walking or climbing the stairs.
- Sharp shooting pain in the legs or back.
- Shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing, or speech.
- Diplopia.
- Muscle weakness of the face.
- Causes
- Gbs is most commonly associated with a preceding respiratory or gastrointestinal infection.
- The exact cause is not known, but it is possible that the body’s immune system mistakenly identifies the nerve cells as a threat.
- Treatment
- Gbds are admitted promptly to a hospital.
- Plasma exchange, intravenous immunoglobulin therapy (IVIG) and rehabilitation are treatments.
- Recovery
- Most people regain the sensation within a few weeks to a few years; some may have residual weakness or paralysis.
