Guillain-Barré Syndrome: A Comprehensive Review of Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Advances in Management

Authors

  • Harsh Vardhan Katariya Dept of Pharmacy Practice, Parul Institute of Pharmacy & Research, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat.
  • Shivkumar Patel Dept of Pharmacy Practice, Parul Institute of Pharmacy & Research, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat.
  • Kashish Parvani Dept of Pharmacy Practice, Parul Institute of Pharmacy & Research, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat.
  • Mohit Buddhadev Dept of Pharmacy Practice, Parul Institute of Pharmacy & Research, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat.
  • S P Srinivas Nayak Dept of Pharmacy Practice, Parul Institute of Pharmacy & Research, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22270/ajprd.v13i4.1600

Abstract

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is an uncommon autoimmune disease-almost in all hysterical cases-paralysis in the strong muscle group and the progressive muscle weakness are the cardinal features associated with peripheral nerve destruction. The review aims at presenting all-rounded discussions on the latest understanding of pathophysiology, diagnostic strategies, and remedies in the recent management of GBS. The pathogenic events include immune-mediated demyelination and axonal degeneration, often provoked by infections. The clinical manifestations span from minor symptoms, progressing to a high-risk clinical condition defined by respiratory failure, implying the need for an early diagnosis and therapy. Improvements in the diagnosis modalities of electrophysiological studies and cerebrospinal fluid analysis have favored early detection-colon or reclassification of subtypes. Treatment modalities include immune modulatory therapies with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and plasma exchange (PLEX) treatments, but emerging treatments are conveying new hope toward better outcomes. With this background also include recent advances in aspects of supportive treatment, prognostic indicators, and ongoing research on novel classes of therapeutic agents. However, great strides have been made to improve and individual customize treatment strategies, and a greater understanding of long-term outcomes is achieved but remains work to be done. The article presents as a testimony to early recognition, multidisciplinary approach to management, and enthusiasm for continuing to research human subject areas to improve prognosis and quality of life further.

 

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Harsh Vardhan Katariya, Dept of Pharmacy Practice, Parul Institute of Pharmacy & Research, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat.

Dept of Pharmacy Practice, Parul Institute of Pharmacy & Research, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat.

Shivkumar Patel, Dept of Pharmacy Practice, Parul Institute of Pharmacy & Research, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat.

Dept of Pharmacy Practice, Parul Institute of Pharmacy & Research, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat.

Kashish Parvani, Dept of Pharmacy Practice, Parul Institute of Pharmacy & Research, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat.

Dept of Pharmacy Practice, Parul Institute of Pharmacy & Research, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat.

Mohit Buddhadev, Dept of Pharmacy Practice, Parul Institute of Pharmacy & Research, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat.

Dept of Pharmacy Practice, Parul Institute of Pharmacy & Research, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat.

S P Srinivas Nayak, Dept of Pharmacy Practice, Parul Institute of Pharmacy & Research, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat.

Dept of Pharmacy Practice, Parul Institute of Pharmacy & Research, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat.

References

Guillain-Barré syndrome. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Retrieved February 5, 2025, from https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/guillain-barre-syndrome

Hopkinsmedicine.org. Retrieved February 5, 2025, from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/guillainbarr-syndrome#:~:text=Guillain%2DBarré%20syndrome%20(GBS)%20is%20a%20neurological%20disorder%20in,weakness%20or%20paralysis%20can%20occur

Begum, A., Maqsood, S. M., Mehveen, S., &Muzaffar, L. (2020). A case report on Guillain-Barré syndrome with history of HIV and spinal tuberculosis. wjpr, 9(10), 990-998 doi:10.20959/wjpr202010-18566

Guillain–Barré syndrome. Who.int. Retrieved February 5, 2025, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/guillain-barré-syndrome

Guillain-Barré syndrome. Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved February 5, 2025, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15838-guillain-barre-syndrome

What is guillain-Barré syndrome? WebMD. Retrieved February 5, 2025, from https://www.webmd.com/brain/what-is-guillain-barre

Guillain-barre syndrome. (2024, October 29). Medscape.com. https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/315632-overview

Walgaard, C., Lingsma, H. F., Ruts, L., Drenthen, J., van Koningsveld, R., Garssen, M. J. P., van Doorn, P. A., Steyerberg, E. W., & Jacobs, B. C. (2010). Prediction of respiratory insufficiency in Guillain-Barré syndrome. Annals of Neurology, 67(6), 781–787. https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.21976

Dash, S., Pai, A. R., Kamath, U., & Rao, P. (2015). Pathophysiology and diagnosis of Guillain–Barré syndrome – challenges and needs. The International Journal of Neuroscience, 125(4), 235–240. https://doi.org/10.3109/00207454.2014.913588

Randomised trial of plasma exchange, intravenous immunoglobulin, and combined treatments in Guillain-Barré syndrome. (1997). Lancet, 349(9047), 225–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(96)09095-2

Malek, E., &Salameh, J. (2019). Guillain–Barre syndrome. Seminars in Neurology, 39(05), 589–595. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0039-1693005

van den Berg, B., Walgaard, C., Drenthen, J., Fokke, C., Jacobs, B. C., & van Doorn, P. A. (2014). Guillain–Barré syndrome: pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. Nature Reviews. Neurology, 10(8), 469–482. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2014.121

Hughes, R. A. C., &Cornblath, D. R. (2005). Guillain-Barré syndrome. Lancet, 366(9497), 1653–1666. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(05)67665-9

Willison, H. J., Jacobs, B. C., & van Doorn, P. A. (2016). Guillain-Barré syndrome. Lancet, 388(10045), 717–727. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(16)00339-1

Karger.com. Retrieved February 8, 2025, from https://karger.com/ned/article-abstract/36/2/123/210899/Population-Incidence-of-Guillain-Barre-Syndrome-A

Asbury, A. K., &Cornblath, D. R. (1990). Assessment of current diagnostic criteria for Guillain-Barr� syndrome. Annals of Neurology, 27(S1), S21–S24. https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.410270707

Oup.com. Retrieved February 8, 2025, from https://academic.oup.com/brain/article-abstract/109/6/1115/300362

Hadden, R. D. M., Cornblath, D. R., Hughes, R. A. C., Zielasek, J., Hartung, H.-P., Toyka, K. V., Swan, A. V., & The Plasma Exchange/SandoglobulinGuillain-Barré Syndrome Trial Group. (1998). Electrophysiological classification of guillain‐barré syndrome: Clinical associations and outcome. Annals of Neurology, 44(5), 780–788. https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.410440512

Sciencedirect.com. Retrieved February 8, 2025, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0022510X77901836

Van den Bergh, P. Y. K., van Doorn, P. A., Hadden, R. D. M., Avau, B., Vankrunkelsven, P., Allen, J. A., Attarian, S., Blomkwist-Markens, P. H., Cornblath, D. R., Eftimov, F., Goedee, H. S., Harbo, T., Kuwabara, S., Lewis, R. A., Lunn, M. P., Nobile-Orazio, E., Querol, L., Rajabally, Y. A., Sommer, C., &Topaloglu, H. A. (2021). European Academy of Neurology/Peripheral Nerve Society guideline on diagnosis and treatment of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy: Report of a joint Task Force—Second revision. Journal of the Peripheral Nervous System: JPNS, 26(3), 242–268. https://doi.org/10.1111/jns.12455

Matsui, N., Nodera, H., Kuzume, D., Iwasa, N., Unai, Y., Sakai, W., Miyazaki, Y., Yamazaki, H., Osaki, Y., Mori, A., Furukawa, T., Tsukamoto-Miyashiro, A., Shimatani, Y., Yamasaki, M., Izumi, Y., Kusunoki, S., Arisawa, K., &Kaji, R. (2018). Guillain−Barré syndrome in a local area in Japan, 2006–2015: an epidemiological and clinical study of 108 patients. European Journal of Neurology: The Official Journal of the European Federation of Neurological Societies, 25(5), 718–724. https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.13569

Styczynski, A. R., Malta, J. M. A. S., Krow-Lucal, E. R., Percio, J., Nóbrega, M. E., Vargas, A., Lanzieri, T. M., Leite, P. L., Staples, J. E., Fischer, M. X., Powers, A. M., Chang, G.-J. J., Burns, P. L., Borland, E. M., Ledermann, J. P., Mossel, E. C., Schonberger, L. B., Belay, E. B., Salinas, J. L., … Coelho, G. E. (2017). Increased rates of Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with Zika virus outbreak in the Salvador metropolitan area, Brazil. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 11(8), e0005869. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0005869

Oup.com. Retrieved February 8, 2025, from https://academic.oup.com/jid/article/223/3/355/5952166

Griffin, J. W., Li, C. Y., Macko, C., Ho, T. W., Hsieh, S.-T., Xue, P., Wang, F. A., Cornblath, D. R., McKhann, G. M., & Asbury, A. K. (1996). Early nodal changes in the acute motor axonal neuropathy pattern of the Guillain-Barré syndrome. Journal of Neurocytology, 25(1), 33–51. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02284784

https://www.webofscience.com/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:000493822500012

Ito, M., Kuwabara, S., Odaka, M., Misawa, S., Koga, M., Hirata, K., & Yuki*, N. (2008). Bickerstaff’s brainstem encephalitis and Fisher syndrome form a continuous spectrum: Clinical analysis of 581 cases. Journal of Neurology, 255(5), 674–682. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-008-0775-0

Islam, M. B., Islam, Z., Rahman, S., Endtz, H. P., Vos, M. C., van der Jagt, M., van Doorn, P. A., Jacobs, B. C., & Mohammad, Q. D. (2017). Small volume plasma exchange for Guillain-Barré syndrome in resource poor settings: a safety and feasibility study. Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-017-0185-0

Farcas, P., Avnun, L., Frisher, S., Herishanu, Y. O., &Wirguin, I. (1997). Efficacy of repeated intravenous immunoglobulin in severe unresponsive Guillain-Barré syndrome. Lancet, 350(9093), 1747. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(97)24050-x.

Published

2025-08-15

How to Cite

Harsh Vardhan Katariya, Shivkumar Patel, Kashish Parvani, Mohit Buddhadev, & S P Srinivas Nayak. (2025). Guillain-Barré Syndrome: A Comprehensive Review of Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Advances in Management . Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and Development, 13(4), 117–125. https://doi.org/10.22270/ajprd.v13i4.1600