Guillain-Barré Syndrome: Symptoms

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Symptoms

Symptoms of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) include:

• Numbness or tingling in the hands and feet and occasionally around the mouth and lips.
• Muscle weakness on both sides of the body in the legs, arms, and face.
• Difficulty speaking, chewing, and swallowing.
• Inability to move the eyes.
• Back pain.

The first symptoms of Guillain-Barré syndrome include tingling in the fingers and toes and weakness in the arms and legs that may appear several days or weeks after a respiratory or gastrointestinal infection. Tingling is a very common symptom that may be caused by a wide variety of medical problems. But after muscle weakness develops in addition to tingling, GBS becomes a more likely cause of these symptoms. Tingling and weakness may spread to the arms and upper body. GBS can become life-threatening if weakness spreads to muscles that control breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure.

Muscle weakness caused by GBS often gets worse over 1 to 4 weeks before it stabilizes and then gradually improves. In some people, symptoms continue to get worse for up to 3 months. In children, persistent symptoms of GBS may include tiring easily and having muscle pain during exercise.⁴

There are different forms of GBS, but symptoms are often a lot alike. Most GBS symptoms are caused by damage to nerve coverings (demyelination). This causes problems with how messages travel between the brain and the rest of the body.

Last updated:	July 31, 2008
Author:	Monica Rhodes
Reviewed By:	Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine, Colin Chalk, MD, CM, FRCPC - Neurology
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman, MATC