- Acute autoimmune d/o causing inflammatory demyelination of peripheral motor and sensory nerves
- 2/3 of cases, an infection occurrs ~2w prior→ w/campylobacter, respiratory pathogens, or other organisms
- Most prominent feature is weakness that's acute, progressive over hours-to-days, symmetric, w/an ascending pattern of involvement
- Numbness/tingling legs and hands, often painful
- SOB that can progress to respiratory failure
- Swallowing problems
- Often autonomic dysfunction→ tachycardia or bradycardia, orthostasis, diaphoresis
- Normal mental status
- Distal extremity weakness that progresses proximally (i.e. starts in legs)
- Distal sensory impairment
- Diminished or absent reflexes
- Sometimes impaired extra-occular movements, facial muscle weakness
- Sometimes ataxia