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Guillain Barrel Syndrome Research Paper

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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 …show more content…

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

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