Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) Quiz
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Shortness of breath
Pins and needles
Muscle weakness
Muscle fatigue
Facial paralysis
Unsteady gait
Paralysis on one side of the body
Difficulty walking
Facial nerve pain
Drooping face
Facial weakness
Fine motor impairment
Not seeing your symptoms? No worries!
What is Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS)?
Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is a rare nerve disorder where a person's own immune system attacks their nerves. GBS can cause symptoms ranging from mild (arm/leg numbness or weakness) to severe and life-threatening (inability to breathe, abnormal heart rhythm, very high/low blood pressure). The prognosis is generally good. Over half of people fully recover and 80% can walk independently at 1 year. However, a minority of people may have permanent nerve damage or need a ventilator to breathe, and the overall death rate ranges from 3% to 7%.
Typical Symptoms of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS)
- Abnormal facial sensation
- Smile is not symmetrical
- Whole body pain
- Small involuntary eye movements
- Difficulty moving facial muscles
- Difficulty standing up from sitting position
- Double vision
- Fever that started after cold or stomach symptoms
Diagnostic Questions for Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS)
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this disease:
- Are you experiencing any abnormal facial sensations?
- Is it hard to raise one corner of your mouth when you smile?
- Do you have pain all over your body?
- Do you have small involuntary eye movements?
- Do you have difficulty moving your facial muscles?
Treatment of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS)
There is no known cure for GBS, but treatment can relieve symptoms and reduce the duration of the condition. Treatment consists of immunoglobulin injections, which give the body the antibodies needed to fight diseases, and plasma exchange, which removes harmful antibodies from the blood. Rarely, intubation and ventilator support is necessary if the person's diaphragm is affected and they cannot breathe on their own.
Reviewed By:
Benjamin Kummer, MD (Neurology)
Dr Kummer is Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), with joint appointment in Digital and Technology Partners (DTP) at the Mount Sinai Health System (MSHS) as Director of Clinical Informatics in Neurology. As a triple-board certified practicing stroke neurologist and informaticist, he has successfully improved clinical operations at the point of care by acting as a central liaison between clinical neurology faculty and DTP teams to implement targeted EHR configuration changes and workflows, as well as providing subject matter expertise on health information technology projects across MSHS. | Dr Kummer also has several years’ experience building and implementing several informatics tools, presenting scientific posters, and generating a body of peer-reviewed work in “clinical neuro-informatics” – i.e., the intersection of clinical neurology, digital health, and informatics – much of which is centered on digital/tele-health, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. He has spearheaded the Clinical Neuro-Informatics Center in the Department of Neurology at ISMMS, a new research institute that seeks to establish the field of clinical neuro-informatics and disseminate knowledge to the neurological community on the effects and benefits of clinical informatics tools at the point of care.
Shohei Harase, MD (Neurology)
Dr. Harase spent his junior and senior high school years in Finland and the U.S. After graduating from the University of Washington (Bachelor of Science, Molecular and Cellular Biology), he worked for Apple Japan Inc. before entering the University of the Ryukyus School of Medicine. He completed his residency at Okinawa Prefectural Chubu Hospital, where he received the Best Resident Award in 2016 and 2017. In 2021, he joined the Department of Cerebrovascular Medicine at the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, specializing in hyperacute stroke.
Content updated on Dec 5, 2025
Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy
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People with similar symptoms also use Ubie's symptom checker to find possible causes
- Facial tingling
- Tingling on one side of the face
- My whole body aches and I feel weak
- Tingling in cheek under eye
- Involuntary eye movement
- Prickly sensation under skin
- One eye won't close completely
- My chin feels strange
- Body aches and chills
- Eyelids tingling
- Strange feeling in the mouth
- Abnormal eye movements
- Lower jaw feels strange
- Joint pain and stiffness all over body
- Strange feeling around the mouth
See full list
Symptoms Related to Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS)
Diseases Related to Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS)
FAQs
Q.
Sudden Weakness? Why Your Nerves Fail & Vital Guillain-Barré Next Steps
A.
Sudden, spreading weakness and tingling can be caused by Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare immune attack on the peripheral nerves that often follows an infection and can quickly affect walking, swallowing, or breathing, which requires urgent medical evaluation and early hospital treatment such as IVIG or plasma exchange. There are several factors to consider. See below to understand more, including red flag symptoms that mean go to the ER now and what to expect from diagnosis, treatment, and recovery.
References:
* van den Berg B, Fokke C, van Doorn PA. Guillain-Barré syndrome: clinical features, diagnosis, and management. Lancet Neurol. 2021 Mar;20(3):229-243. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(20)30449-1. PMID: 33609462.
* Wakerley BR, Uncini A, Yuki N. Guillain-Barré Syndrome: Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Management. J Clin Neurol. 2018 Jul;14(3):360-373. doi: 10.3988/jcn.2018.14.3.360. Epub 2018 Jul 11. PMID: 30043513; PMCID: PMC6086389.
* Willison HJ, Jacobs BC, van Doorn PA. Diagnosis and management of Guillain-Barré syndrome: A systematic review. Pract Neurol. 2016 Oct;16(5):374-385. doi: 10.1136/practneurol-2016-001404. Epub 2016 Jul 14. PMID: 27418296.
* Shahar E. Guillain-Barré Syndrome: A Review of the Recent Literature. Front Neurol. 2020 Apr 23;11:297. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2020.00297. PMID: 32410886; PMCID: PMC7190013.
* Yuki N, Hartung HP. Pathophysiology of Guillain-Barré Syndrome: A Molecular Perspective. N Engl J Med. 2012 Nov 22;367(21):1987-94. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra1114513. PMID: 23171099.
Q.
Sudden Weakness? Why Your Nerves Are Failing: Medically Approved GBS Next Steps
A.
Sudden, spreading weakness or tingling can signal Guillain-Barré syndrome, a medical emergency; seek emergency care if symptoms are worsening or you have trouble breathing or swallowing, since early treatments like IVIG or plasma exchange help most people recover. There are several factors to consider, including red flags, how doctors diagnose it, what to do immediately, recovery expectations, and look-alike conditions. See below for the complete, medically approved next steps that could change what you do today.
References:
* Willison, H. J., & Jacobs, B. C. (2023). Guillain-Barré Syndrome. *The Lancet*, *402*(10398), 340-352.
* Wakerley, B. R., & Uncini, A. (2020). Guillain-Barré syndrome: clinical features, diagnosis and treatment. *Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry*, *91*(3), 299-311.
* Hughes, R. A., & Wakerley, B. R. (2021). Guillain-Barré syndrome. *Practical Neurology*, *21*(3), 227-234.
* Kuitwaard, K., & van Doorn, P. A. (2020). Recovery from Guillain-Barré syndrome. *Journal of Neurology*, *267*(11), 3244-3252.
* Goodfellow, J. A., & Willison, H. J. (2023). Advances in Guillain-Barré syndrome: from molecular mechanisms to novel treatments. *Current Opinion in Neurology*, *36*(3), 282-288.
Q.
Losing Sensation? Why Your Skin Is Going "Silent" and Medical Steps to Heal Leprosy
A.
Skin losing sensation or “going silent” can signal nerve damage from leprosy, a slow and not highly contagious bacterial infection that is curable with multidrug antibiotics; early diagnosis and treatment help prevent permanent disability. There are several factors to consider. See below for early signs, how doctors confirm the diagnosis, the exact medicines and duration, how to control nerve inflammation and protect numb areas, other causes of numbness to rule out, and when to seek urgent care.
References:
* Scollard DM, Adams LB, Gillis TP. The global impact of leprosy: a review of current trends and challenges. Lancet Infect Dis. 2022 Nov;22(11):e314-e326. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(22)00219-X. Epub 2022 Jul 11. PMID: 35839958.
* Rodrigues LC, Lockwood DNJ. Leprosy: an update on diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. J Infect Dis. 2022 Dec 17;226(Suppl 2):S137-S146. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiac324. PMID: 36528751.
* Walker S, D'Silva V. Leprosy. BMJ. 2022 Sep 20;378:e069176. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2021-069176. PMID: 36127027.
* Katoch K, Gupta R, Katoch VM. Leprosy and its Neurological Manifestations. Open Neurol J. 2019 Jun 28;13:16-29. doi: 10.2174/1874205X01913010016. PMID: 31396265; PMCID: PMC6657962.
* WHO guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of leprosy. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018. PMID: 30462060.
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Link to full study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1References
Shahrizaila N, Lehmann HC, Kuwabara S. Guillain-Barré syndrome. The lancet. 2021 Mar 27;397(10280):1214-28.
https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(21)00517-1/fulltextChevret S, Hughes RA, Annane D. Plasma exchange for Guillain-Barré syndrome. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017 Feb 27;2(2):CD001798. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001798.pub3. PMID: 28241090; PMCID: PMC6464100.
https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD001798.pub3/fullMendell JR, Kissel JT, Cornblath DR. Diagnosis and management of peripheral nerve disorders. Oxford University Press; 2001 Mar 8.
https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=NYURDAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=Kissel+JT,+Cornblath+DR,+Mendell+JR.+Guillain-Barre+syndrome.+In:+Diagnosis+and+Management+of+Peripheral+Nerve+Disorders,+Oxford+University+Press,+New+York+2001.&ots=-Lb1YFY8gX&sig=fHj2OTuud63Icwd4IT_-yvOAlys#v=onepage&q&f=falseLawn ND, Wijdicks EF. Fatal Guillain-Barré syndrome. Neurology. 1999 Feb;52(3):635-8. doi: 10.1212/wnl.52.3.635. PMID: 10025803.
https://n.neurology.org/content/52/3/635.long