Treatment of Guillain-Barre syndrome

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You will initially be treated in hospital as an emergency and your respiration rate (breathing) will be carefully monitored. If you have problems with breathing you will be carefully monitored in a high dependency or intensive care unit, where you may also be ventilated.

The two main treatments to reduce the severity of Guillain-Barre and help you recover more quickly are:

Plasma exchange (plasmapheresis) Plasma is the clear, yellowish fluid part of the blood. This treatment involves removing the plasma and separating it from the actual blood cells. The blood cells are then put back into your body without the harmful parts that helped attack the nerves. The blood cells then go on to produce healthy plasma to replace what was taken.

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) Immunoglobulin is another name for antibodies, the parts of the blood that are produced by the immune system to destroy harmful bacteria and viruses. High doses of healthy immunoglobulin from lots of blood donors can block and destroy these harmful parts of your blood.