Both the American Academy of Neurology and the Cochrane Collaboration have become heavily involved in these new initiatives. The American Academy of Neurology convened a task force to review all of the scientific data about treatment for Guillain Barré Syndrome. The Chair of the task force was Prof. Richard Hughes and a distinguished panel including myself, all worked together to develop these guidelines for practitioners and patients separate but parallel effort has been underway in the global network of physicians and scientists called the Cochrane Collaboration which is an short to systematically review high quality evidence examining therapies for disease like Guillain Barré Syndrome. The publications in the Cochrane library are very focused comparing individual therapies. Those detailed reviews may be found in any medical school library or by visiting the website www.thecochranelibrary.com

The following are the conclusions of the AAN guideline summary for patients and families regarding therapy for Guillain Barré Syndrome.

What are the immunotherapy treatments used to treat GBS?

Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIg)
Your doctor may suggest an intravenous medication called immunoglobulin: (IVIg). Depending on how weak you are, your doctor will treat you as soon as possible. IVIg is a medication used to help the body fight disease. Immunoglobulin is a protein in human blood that likely links itself with antibodies or other substances of directed at the nerve.

Your physician may give you a choice between plasma exchange (described below) and IVIg. If so, you should know that research shows side effects occur somewhat less often in people getting IVIg than in people treated with plasma exchange. However, both treatments are equally effective.

If you and your doctor decide that IVIg is an option for you, he or she can provide more details about what happens during the procedure and any side effects you may experience.

If you are the caregiver of a child with severe GBS, IVIg may be an option for your child. Discuss the pros and cons with your child's neurologist.

Plasma Exchange
Your doctor may recommend plasma exchange. Plasma exchange is best when done within two weeks to a month of when you first start to have GBS symptoms. Plasma exchange is a process that separates the plasma in a person's blood from the red and white blood cells. Before the blood returns to the body, the plasma is ''exchanged'' with a blood product called albumin.

Research shows that plasma exchange can shorten the time it takes to recover from GBS-related symptoms.

If you and your dolor decide that plasma exchange is an option for you, your doctor can provide more details about what happens during the procedure and any side effects from the treatment.

If you are the caregiver of a child with severe GBS, plasma exchange may be an option for your child. Discuss the pros and cons with your child's neurologist.

Combined Treatments
Scientific studies show there is no benefit to combining plasma exchange and IVIg, either mixing the two methods in a treatment plan or performing them one after the other.

Steroids
Corticosteroids are man-made drugs that are similar to a hormone called cortisone. Your body produces cortisone on its own. Although, corticosteroids reduce inflammation, careful reviews of the published studies using this drug do not support its use to treat GBS.