Panel of leading neurologists pronounce best treatment for Guillain-Bar...( illain-Barr Syndrome treatment recommen...),Health

illain-Barr Syndrome treatment recommendations. Guillain-Barr Syndrome can progress rapidly, leading to further deterioration and damage, and requires immediate hospitalization. If the patient receives either plasma exchange or IVIg within two weeks of the onset of symptoms of Guillain-Barr Syndrome, the chance for a better outcome improves.

The new guidelines for Guillain-Barr Syndrome treatment do not recommend combining plasma exchange and IVIg, as the outcome is not superior to either therapy alone. Additionally, steroid treatment with drugs such as prednisone, which had been a primary treatment for Guillain-Barr Syndrome, is ineffective. Data on combination therapies, using steroids combined with IVIg or two courses of IVIg or plasma exchange, is not currently available and may be promising. In some patients with initial good improvement but then worsening during the same hospital admission another course of immunotherapy may be needed. This scenario is not commonly seen in clinical practice and the patient may have another diagnosis, according to Dr. Wijdicks.

In Guillain-Barr Syndrome, a patient's own immune system spins out of control and attacks not only infections, but also the nerves critical for muscle strength, maintaining adequate breathing and stable blood pressure. When this condition develops, the patient may experience tingling sensations, numbness, weakness or difficulty breathing. Immunotherapy involves methods of blocking or ridding the body of damaging substances.

Guillain-Barr Syndrome typically is a one-time event, rather than a chronic condition. It annually affects 1 out of 100,000 people worldwide.

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Contact: Lisa Copeland
newsbureau@mayo.edu
507-284-5005
Mayo Clinic
22-Sep-2003

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