MUCH has been said about Zika already; that the virus was discovered in Uganda as early as l947, and that it has not been causing illness as alarming as the other viruses like Ebola, MERsCov or for that matter, the ever-present dengue menace. However the truncated or pyramidal shaped small brains (microcephaly) of infants especially in Brazil drew global attention and concern, especially from the World Health Organization and even the United Nations.
Then, the known transmission of the disease was through the bite of the female Aedes aegypti- the same mosquito that spreads dengue, Chikungunya. Later, it was discovered that in some areas of the world, even the Aedes albopictus also carries the Zika virus. And much more disturbing was the realization that Zika can also be transmitted through venereal or sexual intercourse that is the virus is contained in the seminal fluid of the husband or male lover. And for the while, the males of the human species were complacent, thinking it was only the females, especially the pregnant ones, who are affected. Don’t rejoice too soon guys, Guillain Barre could give result from a Zika infection.
Guillain Barre is one of the demyelinating diseases. Myelin sheath is a covering of nerves fibers, secreted by Schwann cells of the nervous system. Myelin is made of phospholipids, a fatty material belong to the sphingomyelin group. Along the nerve fibers, there are areas not covered by myelin called Nodes of Ranvier, which allows a faster rate of conduction of nerve impulses. In other words, nerves which are bigger in diameter, which are myelinated conduct or transmits impulses much faster than the non-myelinated ones.
Guillain Barre is also called acute ascending polyneuritis which means that the signs and symptoms are first felt in the toes, feet and later the arms. Weakness is the very first complaint of the patient with accompanying tingling sensation, numbness and sometimes pain in the toes. The most plausible explanation for the signs and symptoms of the disease is that it is an immune disease, meaning after an infection, mostly viral, immunization of a massive surgery, our body produces Auto-antibodies, so-called because they cannot recognize what is own by our bodies and instead, these antibodies attack and destroy our tissues and cells, the myelin sheath in the case of Guillain Barre. Signs and symptoms appear in one to 3 weeks after a viral infection,
Guillain Barre is a serious neurological illness considering the fact that once the nerves to our respiratory muscles are affected- diaphragm and intercostal - unless the patient is placed on a respirator, we might loss the patient. Fortunately, mortality rate is about 5% only for those who are diagnosed early. However, Guillain Barre is a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning that other causes of muscle weakness must be looked into first like examination of the cerebrospinal fluid, EEG or electromyography. Poliomyelitis, for one is a very close differential diagnosis.
There is no vaccine for Guillain Barre. A careful, devoted nursing care is vital to the survival of the patient like avoidance of bed sores, cleaning the respirator's tubing. Plasmapheresis is the process of separating the different components of the blood, getting rid of toxic substances. No anti-viral medications are recommended. Injection of gamma globulins seem to be the most effective way to bring back the patient to his usual functional self with no residual weakness. Only in cases, where the illness goes into a chronic relapsing pattern when steroids and other immunosuppressive drugs be given.