Guillain Barre syndrome in Pakistan: A short review of literature

Abstract

Guillain Barre syndrome (GBS) is relatively a common motor neuropathy in western world but it is rarely found in developing countries. It is an acute ascending symmetrical paralysis of multi-factorial etiology. We conducted this review to discuss the prevalence, etiology, severity, prognosis and treatment of GBS in Pakistan. Literature search was conducted on searching engines like Pubmed, Google scholar, embase and medline. Articles were searched from year 1995 to 2015. MeSH and Non-MeSH terms like Guillain Barre syndrome (GBS), Campylobacter jejuni, acute flaccid paralysis was used. From the review of evidence, it was found that GBS is more prevalent in Sindh and KPK province however some familial cases of GBS were also reported in addition to sporadic cases. Regarding the treatment, IVIG and plasmaphresis has no significant difference in relation to therapeutic efficacy. It was concluded that GBS is a rare but a morbid disease in Pakistan which is associated with poor prognosis due to poor health care facility.