At a glance
- Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare condition that causes nerve damage.
- Symptoms include muscle weakness, tingling, and sometimes paralysis.
- Campylobacter infection is one of the most common causes of GBS in the United States.
Overview
Guillain-Barré (Ghee-YAN Bah-RAY) syndrome happens when a person’s immune system harms their nerves. This harm causes muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis.
Symptoms
Early symptoms of GBS include weakness and tingling.
People with GBS usually first feel these symptoms in both legs. Then, they might feel these symptoms in their arms and upper body.
Symptoms can progress over hours, days, or weeks.
The weakness can increase until people cannot use some muscles. In severe cases, people can become paralyzed.
Outlook
People with GBS need to be hospitalized.
Most people start to recover 2–3 weeks after symptoms start. Recovery may take as little as a few weeks or as long as a few years.
Most people recover fully, but some have permanent nerve damage. Some people have died from GBS.
Causes of GBS
Campylobacter infection
Campylobacter infection is one of the most common causes of GBS in the United States.
- About 1 in every 1,000 people with Campylobacter infection gets GBS.
- At least 1 in every 20 people with GBS had a recent Campylobacter infection.
- Some studies found as many as 8 in every 20 people with GBS had a recent Campylobacter infection.
- Some studies found as many as 8 in every 20 people with GBS had a recent Campylobacter infection.
Other causes
Several other things can lead to GBS. These include:
- Diarrhea or a respiratory illness: About 2 in every 3 people had diarrhea or a respiratory illness before developing GBS.
- Viral infection: Some people with GBS had the flu or infection with cytomegalovirus, Epstein Barr virus, Zika virus, or other viruses.
- Vaccination: Very rarely, people have developed GBS after getting certain vaccines.
Keep in mind
Other information about GBS
Number of people affected
GBS is rare. CDC estimates that only about 3,000–6,000 people develop GBS each year in the United States.
Risk factors
Anyone can develop GBS. However, in the United States, GBS is more common in men and people older than 50.
Outbreaks
GBS is not contagious and outbreaks of GBS are very rare.
Most often, an outbreak of GBS is linked to another outbreak. For example, a GBS outbreak can happen if more than one person involved in an outbreak of Campylobacter infections develops GBS.
Learn about an outbreak of GBS that spanned an international border.
Resources
To learn more about GBS, including diagnosis and treatment
- Talk to your doctor or healthcare provider
- Read the Guillain-Barré factsheet from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes