What is Guillain Barre Syndrome?
Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) is a rare autoimmune disease. This is where an individual’s own immune system attacks and destroy healthy body tissue. The exact cause of this syndrome is unknown. However, once triggered the immune system begins to attack the myelin sheath in the brain, particularly, your peripheral nervous system (PNS). The PNS connects the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system – CNS) to the rest of the body. The myelin sheath main function is to ensure fast propagation of nerve impulses. When damaged it can often result in muscle weakness or paralysis.
What causes GBS?
The exact causes of GBS are the subject of ongoing research. Although, the exposure to a lung or gastrointestinal infection such as: Campylobacterjejuni infection seems to play a major role as
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The damaged myelin degenerates and is engulfed by macrophages. When the affected nerves are examined under the microscope, the first abnormality to be seen is the migration of inflammatory cells and macrophages into the nerve. This is followed by destruction of the myelin. The destruction of myelin is caused by the phenomenon: molecular mimicry – where the antigen of the invading organism is similar to the antigens on the surface of the myelin sheath, then antibodies and inflammatory cells attack and damage the myelin. Inflammation and degeneration of the myelin causes leakage of proteins from the blood into the CSF, causing the increased CSF protein concentration that characterizes the disease. Also, the degenerate myelin particularly slows down the propagation of nerve impulses along your peripheral nerves; resulting in muscle weakness or paralysis. Fortunately, Schwann cells are not usually damaged; they are able to multiply and align themselves along the axon to form a new myelin sheath. This is an efficient and effective process, and full recovery can
This disease affects the nerve cells by enabling them to send electric impulses to the muscles which ultimately makes the muscle wither away and stop working. The nerves targeted are actually
When myelin is quite damaged it begins to turn into scar tissue; scar tissue does not transmit nerve impulses as myelin does (MS Society of Canada, 2016). This means that once the myelin becomes scar tissue, the nerve impulses become completely interrupted (MS Society of Canada, 2016). This complete interruption in the nerve impulse process can then lead to the damaging of the nerve fibres themselves (MS Society of Canada, 2016).
Most people do not expect to become paralyzed during the course of their lives. Barring injury to the nervous system or debilitating disease, one does not expect to lose motor function. In spite of these expectations, people of all races, sexes, ages, and classes can be afflicted with a debilitating syndrome that can lead to difficulty in walking or even to temporary paralysis in the most severe cases. This syndrome is known commonly as Guillain-Barre Syndrome, or GBS.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) a disease which the immune system attacks the protective sheath also known as the myelin that covers the nerves. Damages myelin disrupts the communication between the brain and the rest of the body. The nerves itself may weaken, process that is currently irreversible.
Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a disease of the central nervous system. The central nervous system is made up of the brain and spinal cord. Both have nerve fibers that are wrapped in a myelin sheath. In MS, the myelin sheath becomes inflamed and gradually is destroyed. With the destruction of the myelin sheath comes an array of symptoms that may include numbness or tingling, balance problems, weakness, muscle spasms, and blurred vision.
Multiple sclerosis is a progressive disease that affects the central nervous system, which includes but is not limited to the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Within the CNS the immune system attacks myelin sheaths, which are fatty membranes surrounding the axon of a neuron. Overtime the damaged myelin sheath forms scar tissue called sclerosis, which is what gives the disease its name. When scleroses are formed on the myelin sheath, nerve impulses that travel to and from the brain and spinal cord are dramatically slowed and sometimes even completely blocked. Consequently the muscular system is not able to function properly, which is what gives MS such crippling symptoms.
“Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease in which your immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers your nerves” (Mayo Clinic). The immune system is a defensive system that protects your body from diseases and illnesses such as parasites and bacteria (Science Museum). Not only does your immune system defend the human body but also the immune system can work against the body, which is known as autoimmune disease. Since the immune system is working against your body to attack the myelin, this creates an opportunity for multiple sclerosis to invade the nerves in the central nervous system (CNS). The myelin within the body acts like insulation to protect and coat the nervous system (National Multiple Sclerosis Society). Once the myelin is eroded, the nerves become exposed which then causes signals to and from the brain to become distorted or irrupted causing a wide range of symptoms to occur (National Multiple Sclerosis Society). The effect of the myelin eroding is an irreversible process (Mayo Clinic). “The damaged myelin forms scar tissue (sclerosis), which
Multiple Sclerosis is a neurological disease that affects the central nervous system. The CNS consists of the brain and spinal cord. Myelin sheath, an insulation that covers the nerve fibers, is damaged resulting in multiple patches of scarred tissue called lesions. When the Melin sheath is destroyed, damage to the axon begins and causes a wide variety of symptoms. Axons are the fibers that carry electric impulses away from the nerve cell to different parts of the body. MS eventually causes permanent disability. Depending on the extent of the myelin damaged and the location damaged, determines the severity of the symptoms.
Multiple sclerosis, commonly known as MS, is an auto-immune disease. An auto-immune disease is one in which the body attacks itself. In this particular disease, the central nervous system is being attacked. Specifically, the myelin sheath, or the fatty substance that coats and protects nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord, is attacked. The attacks cause scar tissue, which makes it difficult for signals to travel between the brain and body. Eventually, the nerves may deteriorate, which is a process that is completely irreversible [5]. See the figure below for more detail.
Then there is the theory that common diseases or STD's trigger MS and this initiates the migration of white blood cells to enter the brain. Once in the brain these white blood cells activate certain parts of the immune system and thus the immune system begins to attack the myelin that surrounds the nerve. (1) There is another theory that the scarring of the myelin of the nerve is caused by oxidation injury. (3) Oxidation injury is seemingly caused by unstable molecules named free radicals. These free radicals supposedly take electrons from healthy molecules they find in the myelin. These free radicals are also said to occur when the body has been exposed to toxic chemicals. (5) Free radicals are described as punching holes in the cellular walls of our bodies. There is another theory that researchers of MS present. The
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease which affects nerves in the brain and spinal cord which results problems in muscle movement, balance and vision. The nerve fiber in the brain and spinal cord are surrounded by layer of protein called myelin which help to protects the nerve and helps electrical signals from the brain travel to the rest of the body. In case of multiple sclerosis the tissue which is affected is myelin sheaths. During multiple sclerosis something goes wrong with immune system and immune system starts attacking myelin sheaths as they recognize them as foreigner bodies. During macrophage myelin sheaths is engulf and they are presented as foreign bodies to the T-lymphocytes cell which produce antibodies and destroy
Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder where the myelin sheath within the Central Nervous System is attacked (National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 2017). The myelin sheath protects the axon of the nerve cell. When the myelin sheath is intact, the axon is able to carry impulses away from the neuron’s cell body, and the message carried is clear. With Multiple Sclerosis, the myelin sheath becomes scarred, hence the word “sclerosis”, and distorts the nerve impulses traveling over the CNS (National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 2017). This may cause the message to be changed or stopped altogether.
Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a disease of the central nervous system. The central nervous system is made up of the brain and spinal cord. Both have nerve fibers that are wrapped in a myelin sheath. In MS, the myelin sheath becomes inflamed and gradually is destroyed. With the destruction of the myelin sheath comes an array of symptoms that may include numbness or tingling, balance problems, weakness, muscle spasms, and blurred vision.
(MS) is a chronic inflammatory, demyelinating, autoimmune neurodegenerative disease characterized by the disruption of the blood brain barrier (BBB), perivascular inflammation, axonal and oligodendrocyte injury, and breakdown of the myelin sheath present in the central nervous system (CNS). The Loss of myelin leads to progressive axonal damage and eventually neuronal death, resulting in neurodegeneration and functional disability in different regions in the brain and the spinal cord. According to the domain which is compromised, it could cause various symptoms such as motor dysfunction, sensory distortion, visual impairment, dyscoordination, fatigue, bladder dysfunction, cognitive impairment and depression (Goldenberg et al.,2012), and is characterized With remissions and recurring exacerbations of the disease.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a neurologic disease that affects the Central Nervous System (CNS) through cellular immune response and the demyelination of CNS white matter (McCance et al., 2014, pp. 630–633). The initial causes of MS are unknown however, it is believed that it could possibly be due to an immune response to an initiating infection or an autoimmune response to CNS antigens on the myelin itself (Brück, 2005) (Miljković and Spasojević, 2013). MS is a result of the degradation of the myelin sheath surrounding neurons and therefore disrupts the transmission of action potentials along these cells. MS can display itself in the form of symptoms ranging from muscle weakness to trouble with sensation and coordination (NHS, 2016). The degradation of myelin leads the body to attempt to remyelinate the neurons, a process that in turn leads to the thickening of the cell by glial cells and this causes lesions to form (Chari, 2007). It is this thickening (sclerae) from which the disease gets its name. Sufferers of MS can either have a relapsing type of MS, in which there are episodes that lead to the worsening of symptoms for a period of time, or a progressive type of MS where symptoms gradually progress and worsen (McCance et al., 2014, pp. 630–633).