Need to know

Having had GBS, can that make it more likely to be stricken with MS.

[Neuro Forum]

Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with your doctor.

Without the ability to examine you and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of your symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.

I will assume by GBS you mean Guillain-Barre Syndrome. The short answer to your question is no, there is not a higher risk of MS in patients who have had GBS. Nerves are coated with a substance called myelin. Both GBS and MS are demyelinating processes, meaning they affect myelin, but they each involve entirely different areas of the nervous system and based on what knowledge there is of what causes each of these diseases, they are entirely different causes, though not everything about either disorder is well understood.

GBS involves the myelin of the peripheral nervous system (nerves to the muscles mainly of the arms and legs though other areas too) whereas MS involves the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord). If demyelination of both the peripheral and central nervous system occurs in the same person, it is possible they have both MS and GBS but this would likely be coincidental. However, a disease that causes both central and peripheral nervous system demyelination should be investigated (there are a few of these metabolic/genetic disorders that are rare but do occur such as Gaucher, Krabbe, Metachromatic leukodystrophy and others).

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.