Guide To Diagnosing And Treating Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Immunoglobulin Therapy

Immunoglobulin therapy may be used to help manage the symptoms of this condition. During this treatment, donated blood is given to patients intravenously. The donated blood has healthy antibodies, rather than the antibodies attacking the nerves. If a patient is given a high enough dose of immunoglobulin, the healthy antibodies may block the actions of the damaging ones. This helps reduce the symptoms, although it is not a cure.

Sometimes the treatment is done subcutaneously instead of intravenously. With subcutaneous therapy, a needle delivers the immunoglobulin to the tissues below the skin. It then enters the blood much slower and circulates over several days. This type of treatment is not often used for Guillain-Barre syndrome patients, since the symptoms are severe and require immediate intervention. Intravenous therapy tends to be done in the hospital, while some subcutaneous therapy can be done at home.

Get more information on treating this condition now.

Plasmapheresis

Plasmapheresis, otherwise known as plasma exchange, is a treatment in which blood plasma is separated from blood cells. The cells are the solid part of the blood, while plasma is the liquid. After this treatment, the blood cells are placed back inside the body. The body then creates more plasma to compensate for the plasma that was removed. The harmful antibodies tend to be in the plasma, so doctors may prevent the patient's body from continuing to attack their nerves by removing the tainted plasma.

The procedure can often help slow the disease's progression or reduce symptoms until the illness runs its course. Both immunoglobulin therapy and plasmapheresis are equally effective in treating this condition. It is also not any more effective to mix the two than only using one or the other. During plasmapheresis, the plasma will typically be replaced with albumin or saline. This solution is mixed with the blood cells and then reintroduced to the patient's body.

Reveal more ways to treat this condition now.