GUILLAIN-BARRÉ
SYNDROME
DESCRIPTION
Acute autoimmune
disease marked by inflammation of the peripheral nerves, affecting arms and
legs
Involves
destruction of the myelin sheath surrounding largest, most myelinated sensory
and motor fibers, resulting in disrupted proprioception and weakness.
ETIOLOGY
·
No clear cause
·
Neither contagious nor hereditary
·
Inappropriate immune response
·
Possible vaccine causal link
INCIDENCE
&PREVALENCE
·
GBS affects 2 per 100,000 annually
(1,500 people/year)
·
Nondiscriminatory: can affect persons of
any gender, age, or ethnic background
SIGNS
AND SYMPTOMS
·
Numbness and tingling in hands and feet
·
Distal progression: muscle weakness, diminished
reflexe and proprioception, decreased sensation
·
For some, progresses to trunk, face, and
cranial nerves,resulting in difficulty swallowing, chewing, speaking, and
facial expressions
·
Deep, aching pain/hypersensitivity to
touch
·
Respiratory/cardiac dysfunction and
failure
COURSE/PROGNOSIS
80% experience
complete recovery
Recovery may
last from 2 months to 2 years
3 distinct
phases:
Acute (4
wks) - initial rapid onset of symptoms
Plateu (few
days to few weeks) - symptoms neither worsen nor improve
Recovery -
gradual improvement
DIAGNOSIS
Diagnostic
testing for GBS includes
1. Physical
and neurological exam
2. Lumbar
puncture
3. Computed
Tomography (CT) scan
MEDICAL/SURGICAL
MANAGEMENT
Intravenous
immunoglobin therapy: prevents immune system from further
attacking Schwann cells and myelin by blocking receptors on microphages
Plasmapheresis:
filters blood plasma to remove antibodies and aids in replacing lost fluids
Corticosteroids:
inhibit inflammation associated w/symptoms
IMPACT
ON CLIENT
·
Limited physical mobility
·
Inability to engage in meaningful
occupations because of pain, extreme muscle weakness in arms and legs, and
fatigue
·
Sensory functions impaired
·
Using cultural contexts to structure
intervention activities
No comments:
Post a Comment