What is the classic presentation of a patient with Guillain-Barré syndrome?

The classic presentation of Guillain-Barré syndrome involves progressive weakness and areflexia that typically follows a recent infection. This condition often starts with symptoms such as weakness in the lower limbs that can ascend to involve the upper limbs and respiratory muscles. The weakness usually develops over a period of days to weeks. A history of a preceding respiratory or gastrointestinal infection, frequently caused by specific pathogens such as Campylobacter jejuni, can often be identified, making the temporal relationship between the infection and the onset of neurological symptoms crucial for diagnosis.

Areflexia, which is the absence of reflexes, is another hallmark of Guillain-Barré syndrome and aids in differentiating it from other neurological conditions. The combination of these features—recent infection, ascending muscle weakness, and areflexia—is key to diagnosing Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Other options reflect symptoms that, while they may occur in various medical conditions, do not align with the classic presentation of Guillain-Barré syndrome. For instance, fever and rash may suggest a viral infection or other conditions like Stevens-Johnson syndrome; numbness and tingling could indicate neuropathies or multiple sclerosis, and acute severe headache with neck stiffness is characteristic of meningitis rather than Guillain-Barr