(polyradiculopathy) n. any disorder of the peripheral nerves (see neuropathy) in which the brunt of the disease falls on the nerve roots where they emerge from the spinal cord. An abnormal allergic response in the nerve fibres is thought to be one cause of this condition; the *Guillain-Barré syndrome is an example. Other causes include infections (such as syphilis), herpesviruses, and tumours (such as lymphoma or other forms of cancer).
(postinfective polyneuropathy) a disease of the peripheral nerves in which there is numbness and weakness in the limbs. It usually develops 1–28 days after a respiratory or gastrointestinal infection (commonly with Campylobacter): antibodies directed against the pathogen’s cell-surface antigens attack similar antigens on the myelin sheaths of the host’s peripheral nerves. Involvement of the respiratory muscles may require mechanical ventilation. Recovery is variable and often prolonged (there is a 10% mortality rate). Treatment with immunoglobulins (intravenous) or with plasma exchange may speed recovery and reduce long-term disability. See polyradiculitis. [G. Guillain (1876–1961) and A. Barré (1880–1967), French neurologists]... guillain–barré syndrome
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