Guillain-Barré Syndrome: In a Nutshell (Nursing)

00:01 The let's wrap up this video series. Guillain-Barré is a rare neurological disorder in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks part of its peripheral nervous system.

00:12 That is the most important take away point if you understanding how the disease works.

00:18 Now the symptoms can range from a very mild case with brief weakness, to a nearly devastating paralysis and that makes the person unable to breathe on their own.

00:28 The exact cause of Guillain-Barré is not known but we know it's not contagious and it's not inherited and we have hope for the future of research.

00:37 Weakness on both sides of the body is the major symptom that promotes most people to seek attention.

00:44 So symptoms often affect the arms, breathing, muscles and even the face of that makes a more widespread nerve damage.

00:51 Because remember, the majority of patients experience paralysis from the ground to the brain.

00:56 Rarely can start in the arm and work its way down.

00:59 Usually, it's ground to brain. Now treatment of Guillain-Barré involves plasmapheresis or IVIG therapy and that needs to be initiated within the first two weeks of symptoms to be effective.

01:11 The recovery period maybe as little as a few weeks that's our best case scenario.

01:16 Or up to a few years which would be the worst case scenario.

01:21 Thank you for watching our video today.