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Multiple Choice

Guillain-Barré syndrome most commonly follows which type of illness?

Guillain-Barré syndrome is an autoimmune attack on peripheral nerves that almost always follows an infection. The most common preceding illnesses are respiratory infections or gastroenteritis, often due to organisms like Campylobacter. After the infection, immune responses can cross-react with nerve components, leading to demyelination and the characteristic rapid, ascending weakness with areflexia. This post-infectious trigger is what makes a recent respiratory or GI illness the best answer. Hypertension or diabetes are chronic conditions that can cause neuropathy but are not the typical precipitating events for GBS, and meningitis is a CNS infection with different features and not the usual precursor.

Guillain-Barré syndrome is an autoimmune attack on peripheral nerves that almost always follows an infection. The most common preceding illnesses are respiratory infections or gastroenteritis, often due to organisms like Campylobacter. After the infection, immune responses can cross-react with nerve components, leading to demyelination and the characteristic rapid, ascending weakness with areflexia. This post-infectious trigger is what makes a recent respiratory or GI illness the best answer. Hypertension or diabetes are chronic conditions that can cause neuropathy but are not the typical precipitating events for GBS, and meningitis is a CNS infection with different features and not the usual precursor.