What is Autoimmune Disorder?

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Immune system is type of human body’s defense shield, it means protection against foreign antigens, micro-organisms, and toxins. Immune system consists of two main parts, first element is B lymphocytes that produce proteins, antibodies to damage or attack the foreign antigens, micro-organisms and forcefully remove them from the body. It is generally called the humeral immune system. 2nd significant component in immune system is T lymphocytes, these are particular white blood cells that directly damage the foreign micro-organisms. The T lymphocytes are called the cellular immune system. Usually it takes time for both components to perform normally. When an individual is exposed to particular foreign antigen threats, T lymphocytes turn into protective cells therefore antibodies are developed. During an average lifetime, immune system expands a huge library of recognized microorganisms and substances which are sorted and titled as not threat or threat.

Autoimmune disorders are syndromes usually caused when body’s immune system response’s inappropriately against its own cells. Often immune system doesn’t recognize body’s own tissues and start producing auto-antibodies. These anti-bodies begin to damage and attack its own organs, cells and issues. The result is inflammation and autoimmune disorder. Although there had been much research done in this specific field yet the exact cause of autoimmune disorders is unknown. However it is identified that sometime inherited predisposition grows into autoimmune disorders.

Guillain-Barre syndrome is type of autoimmune disorder.

Guillain Barre Syndrome Treatments

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Guillain Barre Syndrome Definition

Generally Guillain Barre Syndrome weakened the muscles and entire body goes through acute paralysis. Often facial nerves get affected, blurred vision and slurred speech are the common signs of this type of paralysis. Numbness or tingling in the feet and hands are also among other obvious sensory symptoms. In other severe cases the muscles of swallowing and breathing get badly damaged. Guillain Barre Syndrome symptoms quickly grow and radically get worse. After that, approximately within 2-4 weeks disease progress usually ends and after 2-4 weeks full functional recovery begins.

Guillain Barre Syndrome Treatments

Currently there are no precise tests for Guillain Barre Syndrome; diagnosis is done by various clinical reports and medical findings. This procedure is commonly referred as electromyography and characteristic modifications from the spinal fluid or from a lumbar puncture. Though there is no exact treatment for Guillain Barre syndrome, doctors prescribe few encouraging treatments.

However it’s extremely significant to start prompt therapy, timely treatment ensures fast recovery, often little hospitalization speed up the recovery.

The initial Guillain Barre Syndrome treatment is plasmapheresis that detoxifies the blood to remove foreign antigens or plasma which gets restored by an albumin solution or alternative artificial substance. Plasma exchange treatment and intravenous immune serum globulin or IVIG have shown positive results. These treatments are successfully used and remarkably shorten time of recovery approximately 50%.

The other common and newer treatment involves the intravenous injection of gamma globulin which blocks the receptors and antibodies that attack the peripheral nerves. Normally injured nerves take longer time to restore.

Plasma exchange contains fewer risks and complications though intravenous immune serum globulin is simpler to administer and has more encouraging results with fewer complications and less side effects.

Majority of Guillain Barre Syndrome patients regain all their functional muscle recovery within one year. Although there is 3-4% cases that became chronic and patients get severe paralysis affects that wastes their muscles and often lose their lives. Months of intensive physical therapy is essential even if the recovery process seems very slow and futile.

Nursing Patients with Guillain Barre Syndrome

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Since Guillain Barre Syndrome is a rare and life threatening disease (commonly characterized as severe neuro-muscular paralysis), careful observation of patient’s history is essential. Pattern of the illness, existing treatments, nursing care, in addition to selections from a patient instruction guide published for patients with Guillain Barre Syndrome are crucial data. The basic purpose is to provide facts and information about Guillain Barre Syndrome, primarily accepting and dealing with the disease accordingly, creating awareness among patients and their families, and eventually offer more in-depth analysis for the health care units. Regardless of the possible triggering fatal affects of Guillain Barre Syndrome, there is still hope and results are quite encouraging.

The indications or signs may differ in individual from tingling to numbness with tiredness or exhaustion to complete paralysis. Mechanical ventilation is required at the complete paralytic stage. After the diagnosis patients are generally treated with intravenous immune globulin which considerably decreases time of disease. Though Neuroscience nurses make a noticeable difference in the full functional recovery of Guillain Barre Syndrome patients anticipating possible complication and taking care of their special and emergency needs during the most difficult time of their recovery phase. Despite from physical care, it’s significant to teach and support the patient and family.

Here are few nursing points for patients and their families.

  1. Treatment is complicated and investigative.
  2. Patient must be continuously monitored for satisfactory respiratory ability.
  3. Constant EKG monitoring.
  4. Supportive nursing care examines and specifies patient”s degree of paralysis.
  5. In few weeks, paralysis will start to reduce, typically and preliminary from the head towards lower limb.
  6. Residual effects are exceptional, except extended flaccid paralysis may develop into muscle weakness needing physical treatment and rehabilitation.

Children and Adolescents with Guillain Barre Syndrome

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Extensive development of immunization programs in industrialized countries is the most common and obvious reason of severe paralytic disease in children and adolescent.

Guillain Barre Syndrome has been reported to range from 0.5-1.6 in 100,000 children and adolescent. Guillain Barre Syndrome affects approximately 16% of children after triggering fatal symptoms like respiratory failure that constantly need mechanical ventilator support.

Forthcoming emergency treatment trials in childhood Guillain Barre Syndrome are inadequate as thorough sensory examination is not feasible, though few case series studies applying historical controls indicate that equally combined administration of human immunoglobulin and plasmapheresis could be significant in decreasing life threatening symptoms of Guillain Barre Syndrome.

Generally recovery from this severe illness is excellent among children and adolescents, majority of children suffering from Guillain Barre Syndrome regain a full functional recovery in approximately 6-8 months. It is crucial for a pediatric neurological surgeon to get all the emergency information for immediate assessment of treatment for Guillain Barre Syndrome in infants and kids.

Causes of Guillain Barre Syndrome

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Guillain Barre Syndrome is not a contagious disease yet it contains extremely life threatening effects. In 1916 Jean-Alexander Barre, Georges Charles Guillain recorded and carefully examined their patients with this fatal syndrome. They published their research as classic report on ascending paralysis and this disease is named after both theses dedicated French physicians.

After all these year, constant research has been done but there are no exact causes for this sickness. There are no particular theories that explain how this fatal illness originates? Currently no one knows which enzyme, hormone or nerve triggers Guillain Barre Syndrome. The only scientific evidence available is that, scientists have discovered that body’s auto-immune system start to attack the body and it is commonly referred as auto-immune disease.

Normally cells of the immune system only damage and attack foreign invading organisms. However in Guillain Barre Syndrome the immune system begins to attack the myelin cover that surrounds the axons (axons are extended, thin addition of the nerve cells and carry nerve signals) of several peripheral nerves. Myelin sheath around the axon increase the transmission of nerve signals and let the transmission of signals over extended distances. In the peripheral nerves”” syndromes where myelin sheaths are degraded or injured, the nerves stop conveying signals effectively. This is the core cause why muscles begin to lose their ability to respond on brain’s commands and brain gets fewer signals from the body.

At this stage of Guillain Barre Syndrome, after getting fewer sensory signals from the body, patient feels disability for pain, textures, temperature and similar sensations. Instead brain receives inappropriate signals that produce pain, cold, tingling sensations like crawling of the skin. Consequently, muscle weakness and tingling sensations typically emerge in the hands and feet and grow towards upper limb. At the chronic stage of Guillain Barre Syndrome a viral or bacterial infection appears, it is possible that the virus has modified the nature of cells in the nervous system and the immune system begins to attack them as foreign cells.