Getting Infected With the Zika Virus Might Increase Your Risk of Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Health experts fear that the Zika virus might be related to Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that weakens the muscles and causes debilitating paralysis. A new research showed that the rise of Zika cases is directly proportional to the increase of GBS patients.

Researchers looked into French Polynesian health documents and discovered that the Pacific Island already had 32,000 suspected Zika cases in April 2014. That's a full year before the mosquito-borne epidemic gained worldwide media attention when it hit South America.

According to CNN, researchers noticed that cases of GBS in French Polynesia also ballooned around the same time. They found that nearly 98 percent of GBS patients had Zika antibodies in their system.

Moreover, 88 percent of GBS patients reported that they experienced Zika symptoms a week before developing the neurological disorder. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, rashes, conjunctivitis and joint pains.

Dr. Peter Jay Hotez, a dean at Baylor College of Medicine, got hold of the paper and praised the researchers for their investigation. He said that on the surface, the figures "clearly shows a link between Zika and Guillain-Barre in Polynesia."

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Tom Frieden also applaud the research. He said, "Given the time course of clusters of Guillain-Barre after peak Zika virus infection, I think most epidemiologists would say it's certainly related."

Health Line reported that GBS is a rare albeit serious disorder that affects one in 100,000 Americans. It's a condition in which the immune system combats healthy nerve cells in the peripheral nervous system.

GBS leads to weakened muscles, numbness and paralysis. Patients feel tingling from their feet up though 10 percent of people say the disorder begins in the face or arms.

The medical community is still not sure what causes GBS. However, it is usually activated by an infectious illness like lung infection, stomach flu and apparently, the Zika virus.