Identifying and managing Guillain-Barré syndrome

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is the most common form of acute neuromuscular paralysis in developed countries, where the nerves become inflamed resulting in weakness and loss of sensation (Vucic et al, 2009). The condition is named after two French physicians, Guillain and Barre, who in 1916 described the condition in two soldiers affected by paralysis but who later recovered (van Doorn et al, 2008). Several variants of the condition are now recognized (Gregory et al, 2005).