What is Guillain-Barre Syndrome?
Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune disease that affects nerves. It starts as numbness or tingling of the arms and legs and progresses to muscle weakness. It can complicate the function of the heart, bladder, bowel, and lungs. The death rate is 5%.
GBS is an autoimmune disease
Autoantibodies are antibodies that turn to the host’s organs. Typically, antibodies recognize and attack specific protein sequences in viruses and bacteria. If the protein sequences are similar to the proteins of the cells of an organ, the antibodies attack them. In GBS, it is the myelin – the covering of the nerves.
Typically, nerve signals travel outside the nerves. Nerve signals jump across the myelin sheath. In GBS, autoimmune antibodies attack and remove the myelin. The autoantibodies demyelinate the nerves. Once the myelin is damaged, the nerve loses its function.
Infections usually precede GBS. The most common culprits are bacteria and viruses like Campylobacter jejuni, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, and Mycoplasma pneumonia.
After infection, the immune system develops antibodies. Antibody formation takes days to weeks. That is why there is a lag between the disease and the onset of GBS symptoms.
Vaccines and Guillain-Barre Syndrome
Vaccines against influenza have been implicated. So are the COVID-19 vaccines.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a report Guillain-Barré Syndrome Associated with COVID-19 vaccination. In the study, they looked for GBS cases that occurred after COVID-19 vaccination locally and internationally.
In Taiwan, where the study came from, one case of GBS among 18,269 healthcare workers who received the AstraZeneca vaccine was found during the study period.
They broadened their search for GBS post-COVID-19 vaccination worldwide and found 38 additional cases from the following countries:
- India, 10 cases
- United Kingdom 11 cases
- Mexico, 7 cases
- United States, 3 cases
- France, 1 case
- Italy, 3 cases
- Malta, 1 case
- Turkey, 1 case
- Qatar, 1
These cases are only the tip of the iceberg. Writing a case report takes a lot of time. More so, not all case reports are published.
The COVID-19 Vaccines that the patients who had GBS were:
- Astra Zeneca 25/39 – 25 had the AstraZeneca vaccine out of a total of 39 GBS cases
- Pfizer-BioNTech – 12/39
- Johnson & Johnson – 1/39
- CoronaVac – 1/39
VAERS Reports of GBS after COVID-19 vaccine
As of October 29, 2021, there have been 785 cases of GBS post-COVID-9 vaccination. The case reports on the VAERS are on the links.
- 287 GBS after Pfizer vaccination
- 217 cases of GBS post-Moderna shots
- 194 after the Johnson and Johnson vaccine
Many will get have the COVID-19 booster shots. The absence of reactions from previous jabs does not guarantee there will be no problem with another one. The immune system needs previous exposure to develop autoantibodies.
The initial symptoms of GBS From the most common
What are the symptoms that give a clue that someone is developing GBS? The following are the most common symptoms based on the study from the CDC page.
- Numbness or tingling (paresthesia) (28/39)
- Weakness of the facial muscles (facial palsy) (23/39) – can be mistaken for Bell’s palsy.
- Quadriparesis or weakness of all arms and legs () (22/39)
- Muscle pain or myalgia (12/39)
- Deficiency of both legs (5/39)
The average time from vaccination to GBS symptom onset was 11.3 days.
What should I do if someone may have GBS?
Call your doctor or seek medical attention. Tell them about your concern about vaccine injury.
You don’t want to wait because GBS has several complications that involve the heart, blood pressure, bladder and bowel functions, and blood clots.
At its worse, it can weaken the muscles for breathing, and respiratory support is needed. That’s why some GBS patients are usually in the intensive care unit for close observation.
Diagnosis of GBS should be made right away. A spinal tap is done to check for changes in the cerebrospinal fluid. The risk of complications from a missed GBS diagnosis is worse than the thought of a spinal tap.
Nerve and muscle conduction studies are also needed to know if the problem is in the nerves.
How much does it cost to treat GBS?
Children’s Health Defense recently reported about Diana Ochoa. A 63-year old woman cancer survivor. She developed GBS after her second Pfizer shot on April 16. She sought a medical consult for back pain, but the ER doctor did not believe her and wrote her a prescription. She continued to have pain.
By mid-June, she was diagnosed to have a vaccine-related injury. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) was recommended, and the cost is $10,000 per treatment. However, her medical insurance denied it twice.
The IVIG was approved only when her diagnosis was upgraded to Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP). She had the IVIG, but her symptoms have deteriorated at that time, and she did not get better.
Diana looked for alternative treatment and had to pay out of pocket — $3333.33 for an alternative therapy called extracorporeal blood oxygenation and ozonation therapy – EBOO. EBOO is a dialysis machine that cleans the blood through a filter.
The treatment improved Diana’s symptoms. Regarding getting vaccinated for COVID-19, the Defender quoted Diana, who said that if she could do it all over again, she would “never ever” get the COVID vaccine.
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