Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS)

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GBS Causes

Guillain-Barre syndrome is not hereditary or contagious. What causes GBS is not known; however, in about half of all cases the onset of the syndrome follows a viral or bacterial infection, such as the following:

• Campylobacteriosis (usually from eating undercooked poultry)
• Flu (influenza), common cold
• Gastrointestinal viral infection
• HIV
• Infectious mononucleosis
• Porphyria (rare disease of red blood cells)
• Viral hepatitis

A small number of cases have been known to occur after a medical procedure, such as minor surgery.

Guillain-Barre syndrome may be an autoimmune disorder in which the body produces antibodies that damage the myelin sheath that surrounds peripheral nerves. The myelin sheath is a fatty substance that surrounds axons. It increases the speed at which signals travel along the nerves.

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