In a stunning turn of events, specialists at Narayana Hospital in Howrah saved a patient who had been wrongly diagnosed with a brain stroke at a nearby hospital by making the right diagnosis and acting quickly. The patient was sent to a nearby hospital after experiencing an abrupt paralysis of his legs. There, he was misdiagnosed as having had a cerebral stroke and was receiving treatment accordingly. But after receiving treatment for three days, his condition worsened, so his family sent him to Narayana Hospital in Howrah.

The patient’s condition was rapidly deteriorating when they arrived at the Narayana Hospital Emergency Department in Howrah. He was also experiencing acute dyspnea. After a comprehensive medical review and several diagnostic tests, the hospital’s medical staff determined that the patient’s condition was Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) rather than a brain stroke. In GBS, a rare disorder, the body’s immune system assaults the nerves by mistake, resulting in muscle weakness and, in extreme cases, paralysis. The patient’s particular kind of GBS is called ascending GBS, and it causes paralysis to progress up the body from the lower extremities. It can cause serious side effects, such as paralysis of the respiratory muscles if left untreated.

There are different forms of GBS:

Ascending Type (AIDP): This is the most common form and the paralysis starts in the legs and moves upwards.

Miller Fisher Syndrome: Paralysis starts in the eye muscles and causes difficulty walking and is common in Asia.

AMAN (Acute Motor Axonal Neuropathy) and AMSAN (Acute Motor Sensory Axonal Neuropathy): These are more common in China and Japan

Guillain-Barré Syndrome is a dangerous illness that can get worse quickly, necessitating hospitalization right away. The likelihood of a full recovery increases with the early initiation of treatment. After receiving potentially deadly improper treatment for a stroke for three days, the patient finally arrived at Narayana Hospital. If GBS infects the respiratory muscles, it can cause breathing problems, including respiratory failure, thus prompt and accurate medical care is essential.

To guarantee the best possible outcome for the patient, the team at Narayana Hospital in Howrah started the appropriate treatment plan, which comprised IV immunoglobulin therapy and supportive care.

Because medical emergencies can occur at any time, it’s wise to add the hospital’s emergency number to your speed dial. For all medical needs, Narayana Health now has a number: 1800 309 0309.

Priyanka Dutta