Guillain-Barré Syndrome
Zika fever is an emerging infectious disease of arboviral origin transmitted by mosquitoes of Aedes genus. It presents as an influenza-like disease with a cutaneous rash, but certain complication can ensue. Accumulating evidence of Guillain-Barré syndrome following Zika virus infection does not come as a surprise, as this syndrome is a well-known (albeit rare) complication of other infections.
Definition of Guillain-Barré syndrome
Guillain-Barré syndrome represents an acute autoimmune polyradiculoneuropathy with a wide spectrum of severity. A history of gastrointestinal or respiratory infection three weeks or less before the onset is noted in approximately two thirds of patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome.
A possible explanation for …show more content…
Furthermore, there is no valid explanation for the emergence of this complication that was previously not related to Zika virus; one theory is that the virus genetically evolved to a more pathogenic …show more content…
Moreover, the simultaneous outbreaks of type 1 and 3 dengue fever could also act as a predisposing factor during Zika fever.
Zika-related Guillain-Barré syndrome was initially described in 2014 during an outbreak in French Polynesia. From 8,262 suspected cases of Zika virus infections, 38 cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome followed an illness that was suggestive of Zika. Such clustering of Guillain-Barré syndrome cases was quite unusual when compared to a yearly average of approximately 5 cases in French Polynesia.
After the epidemic was confirmed in north-east Brazil in May 2015, unexpected increases of the syndrome were reported in different countries of South and Central America. Guillain-Barré syndrome frequency above the baseline was noted in Brazil, Colombia, French Polynesia, Suriname and Venezuela, which further supports the possible role of Zika virus as a trigger.
Guillain-Barré syndrome related to the latest Zika virus epidemic disproportionally affected young (between 20 and 40 years of age) and relatively healthy individuals, with particularly severe clinical presentation that often left residual neurological problems even six months
Definition of Guillain-Barré syndrome
Guillain-Barré syndrome represents an acute autoimmune polyradiculoneuropathy with a wide spectrum of severity. A history of gastrointestinal or respiratory infection three weeks or less before the onset is noted in approximately two thirds of patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome.
A possible explanation for …show more content…
Furthermore, there is no valid explanation for the emergence of this complication that was previously not related to Zika virus; one theory is that the virus genetically evolved to a more pathogenic …show more content…
Moreover, the simultaneous outbreaks of type 1 and 3 dengue fever could also act as a predisposing factor during Zika fever.
Zika-related Guillain-Barré syndrome was initially described in 2014 during an outbreak in French Polynesia. From 8,262 suspected cases of Zika virus infections, 38 cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome followed an illness that was suggestive of Zika. Such clustering of Guillain-Barré syndrome cases was quite unusual when compared to a yearly average of approximately 5 cases in French Polynesia.
After the epidemic was confirmed in north-east Brazil in May 2015, unexpected increases of the syndrome were reported in different countries of South and Central America. Guillain-Barré syndrome frequency above the baseline was noted in Brazil, Colombia, French Polynesia, Suriname and Venezuela, which further supports the possible role of Zika virus as a trigger.
Guillain-Barré syndrome related to the latest Zika virus epidemic disproportionally affected young (between 20 and 40 years of age) and relatively healthy individuals, with particularly severe clinical presentation that often left residual neurological problems even six months