Guillain-Barre Syndrome is characterized by what?

• A. Acute polyneuritis with ascending weakness
• B. Chronic central demyelinating disease
• C. Autoimmune kidney disease
• D. Isolated cranial neuropathy

Answer: (A)

Guillain-Barré Syndrome is an acute inflammatory process affecting the peripheral nerves, leading to rapid, progressive weakness that typically starts in the legs and ascends upward, often with areflexia. This pattern—acute polyneuritis with ascending weakness—reflects the autoimmune attack on peripheral nerve myelin (demyelination) or, less commonly, the axons themselves, occurring after a preceding infection. The hallmark is this sudden, ascending, symmetric weakness with diminished reflexes, rather than a chronic process, a disease of the central nervous system, kidney disease, or an isolated cranial nerve problem. Cranial nerves can be involved in some cases, but the defining feature remains the acute, ascending weakness due to peripheral nerve demyelination.