The Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS)-related death of a patient from Pune is the first suspected GBS-related mortality in Maharashtra. He died in the Solapur district of Maharashtra while on a personal visit to his hometown. In the meantime, Pune has now reported more than 100 GBS cases.
The deceased was admitted to a private hospital in Solapur on January 18 due to symptoms of a cold, cough, and breathing difficulties. After demonstrating improvement, he was moved from the intensive care unit to a regular room. But after experiencing breathing problems, his health began to deteriorate, and he eventually died in the hospital’s intensive care unit after being readmitted. The deceased also experienced paralysis in his limbs, prior to his demise.
“A 40-year-old patient died at a private hospital and was brought to us for post-mortem. According to the preliminary report the patient’s death appears to be due to Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS),” said Dr. Sanjeev Thakur, Dean of Government Medical College, Solapur. “I checked his clinical history, he had suspected GBS. Despite being on treatment for five days, he has succumbed. Along with medical postmotem, we decided to do clinical PM. Clinical PM is done to understand the exact cause of death. We involved two biologist and pathologist also, team of four carried out the autopsy. The clinical report and autopsy report prima facia suggest cause of death is GBS,” he added.
“To further confirm this, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and blood samples have been sent for polymerase chain reaction. The exact reason we will come to know after microbiological and Histopathology reports are out. It will take 5 to 6 days for report to come. The total number of GBS cases in Pune on Sunday increased to 101, comprising 68 males and 33 females. Of these, 16 patients are on ventilator support. One suspected death has been reported in Solapur,” the State health department official said.
According to the official, a total of 25,578 homes have been surveyed thus far, with 15,761 located within the boundaries of the Pune Municipal Corporation, 3,719 within the boundaries of the Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, and 6,098 inside the rural parts of the district.
When a person has Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), an autoimmune neurological condition, their immune system targets their peripheral nerves, causing muscle weakness that can eventually lead to paralysis. It can develop over a few days or several weeks. People of any age can be affected, but it is more common in adults and males. With an estimated incidence of 1/2 per 100,000 people, the illness is extremely uncommon. Although the exact causes of GBS are yet unknown, bacterial or viral infections are typically the first cause.