This life-threatening scenario is complicated by other medical problems such as pneumonia, severe infections, blood clots in the lungs, and bleeding in the digestive tract in 60% of those who require artificial ventilation. Autonomic dysfunction
The autonomic or involuntary nervous system, which is involved in the control of body functions such as heart rate and blood pressure, is affected in two-thirds of people with Guillain–Barré syndrome, but the impact is variable. Twenty percent may experience severe blood-pressure fluctuations and irregularities in the heart beat, sometimes to the point that the heart beat stops and requires pacemaker-based treatment. Other associated problems are abnormalities in perspiration and changes in the reactivity of the pupils. Autonomic nervous system involvement can affect even those who do not have severe muscle weakness. Causes
Infection onset
Two-thirds of people with Guillain–Barré syndrome have experienced an infection before the onset of the condition. Most commonly, these are episodes of gastroenteritis or a respiratory tract infection. In many cases, the exact nature of the infection can be confirmed. Approximately 30% of cases are provoked by Campylobacter jejuni bacteria, which cause diarrhea. A further 10% are attributable to cytomegalovirus (CMV, HHV-5). Despite this, only very few people with Campylobacter or CMV infections develop Guillain–Barré syndrome (0.25–0.65 per 1000 and 0.6–2.2 per 1000 episodes, respectively). The strain of Campylobacter involved may determine the risk of GBS; different forms of the bacteria have different lipopolysaccharides on their surface, and some may induce illness (see below) while others will not.Links between other infections and GBS are less certain.
CGPD is more common in boys than girls. History
Gianotti et al. first described CGPD in five Italian children in 1970. In 1990, Williams et al. described a similar skin eruption in five children of Afro-Caribbean descent and coined the proposed term "facial Afro-Caribbean childhood eruption (FACE)". Subsequently, another article by Katz and Lesher first introduced the term CGPD since some reported cases were not found in children of Afro-Caribbean descent and to avoid confusion with perioral dermatitis. See also
Perioral dermatitis


== References ==