Case Of Mistaken Identity: When Immune System Attacks Nerves

NE cold morning on January 31, 2006, Nitin Narain, a Delhi native, experienced unusual fatigue which was accompanied by stiffness in his hands and legs.

- ANNA JOSE @ Kochi

NE cold morning on January 31, 2006, Nitin Narain, a Delhi native, experienced unusual fatigue which was accompanied by stiffness in his hands and legs. The first thought that came to his mind was that the climate, as the extremely cold weather in Delhi might have caused the stiffness and other issues. He did not give it too much thought and continued with his normal routine and went to work.

As days progressed, his health continued to deteriorate further. "I experienced muscle pain, fatigue and weakness. However, I was confident of managing it by myself. Around a week later, I felt I was losing all the energy out of my body. I was not able to get up or eat anything. It was then I realised that something was wrong. I was taken to a nearby hospital where I was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome," he said. The disease left Nitin, who was 25 then, completely paralysed and he had to undergo treatment at AIIMS, Delhi, for two weeks.

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is a rare auto-immune condition where the immune system attacks the peripheral nerves. Globally, the prevalence of the disease is one to four in one lakh. However, there has been a recent spike in cases in Pune in Maharashtra, with 130 cases and three deaths reported. The cause of the spread was found to be contaminated water.