Mumbai reports its first GBS case; 64-year-old woman hospitalised

Mumbai: Mumbai reported its first case of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) on Friday as a 64-year-old woman was diagnosed with the rare nerve disorder, civic officials said.

GBS is a rare condition in which a person's immune system attacks the peripheral nerves, resulting in muscle weakness, loss of sensation in the legs and/or arms, as well as problems swallowing or breathing.

Talking to PTI, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)'s commissioner and its state-appointed administrator Bhushan Gagrani confirmed that the 64-year-old female GBS patient was currently undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a civic-run hospital.

BMC officials said the woman, who resides in Andheri east area of the city, was hospitalised with a history of fever and diarrhoea that was followed by ascending paralysis.

Further details about the patient are awaited.

In GBS, severe cases can result in near-total paralysis. The prevalence of this disorder is more common among adults and in males, though people of all ages can be affected.

The number of suspected GBS deaths in Maharashtra's Pune district stood at six, while the count of suspected cases there was 173.