Understanding Guillain-Barré syndrome: Causes and symptoms of this rare nerve disorder

Guillain-Barré Syndrome or GBS, is one of those conditions that can appear without warning and turn a person’s life upside down in a matter of days. It’s a rare neurological disorder in which the body’s own immune system, usually a defender against illness, mistakenly begins to attack the peripheral nerves. These are the nerves that lie outside the brain and spinal cord, responsible for movement, touch, and pain sensations. What begins as mild tingling in the feet or hands can quickly escalate into weakness and, in some cases, complete paralysis. Yet, despite its frightening nature, most people do recover fully with the right medical care and time. To understand GBS, it helps to picture the body’s nervous system as a complex network of wires. Each nerve is coated in a protective la