Guillain-Barré Syndrome: Around 59 people were diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) in India's Pune on Thursday (Jan 23). Around 12 out of the total infected are on ventilators due to the rare neurological disorder. The health ministry of Maharashtra has launched an investigation to assess the sudden increase in the number of patients with the disorder.

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Health professionals explain that bacterial or viral infections more often cause GBS as they weaken the immunity of the human body. 

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What is Guillain-Barré Syndrome? 

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Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is a rare neurological disorder in which the immune system of the body attacks the nervous system. This process leads to the body becoming weakened, numb, and even paralysed. 

The condition is also dangerous, as the exact cause of it is still unknown. 

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Symptoms of the Guillain-Barré disorder 

Health experts say that in the majority of cases, the body experiences the symptoms of an infection six weeks before the symptoms of GBS occur.

The preliminary symptoms are respiratory illness or a gastrointestinal infection. And when the symptoms of GBS start in the body, it leads to weakness that starts from the feet, moves to the legs, and then the body. After covering the arms and face, it ends by capturing the breathing muscles.

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The person suffering from the disorder often experiences difficulty in climbing stairs or even walking. 

As per the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the brain may also experience some abnormal sensory signals due to nerve damage when they are suffering from GBS. 

The disorder further has a list of symptoms that include vision difficulty, problems in swallowing, speaking or chewing, and prickly pain in hands and feet. The pain gets severe during the night, and the person faces abnormal heart rate or blood pressure. 

What's the cure? 

To diagnose the disorder, a nerve conduction velocity (NCV) test is conducted in which the nerve's ability to send a signal is measured. 

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At present, there is no cure for GBS. The best the patient can get is therapy to get relief from the symptoms of the condition. 

(With inputs from agencies)