With 17 people ending up on ventilator support, and over 100 hospitalised after contracting Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) in Maharashtra, the state health department officials have begun a survey to find out how many have been infected.
The huge cost of hospitalisation involved in the treatment for this neurological disease that causes numbness, weakness and pain, is beyond the reach of an average Indian, But, thanks to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the government has announced free treatment to affected citizens. "The treatment for this issue is very expensive. After discussions with officials from the district administration and municipal corporation, we have decided to provide free treatment to affected citizens," Pawar added.
But, why is the treatment so expensive? GBS is treated with immunotherapy to reduce inflammation and suppress the immune system and the two main treatments are plasmapheresis and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg). The vaccine used to treat the syndrome is priced at around Rs 8,000, but it costs nearly Rs 20,000 in private facilities.
A course of 13 injections of IVIG was needed to treat this disease. The dose of the injection is 2 ml per kg and the whole cost for an average adult comes to around Rs 2 lakh.
The other treatment is plasmapheresis using MCS+ and Haemonetics kits. This is a procedure where a machine called the Haemonetics MCS+ cell separator is used to extract plasma from a patient's blood. A specially designed Haemonetics kit is allowed for the removal of unwanted plasma components while returning the remaining blood cells back to the patient. This cost an average of Rs 1.4 lakh per patient.
Though both plasma exchange and IVIG are both are first-line treatments, there is a significant difference in cost.
Also read: Guillain-Barré Syndrome: What’s behind the spread of this rare disease in Pune
Treatment methods also involve pain medication such as gabapentin, carbamazepine, or amitriptyline, compression stockings to reduce the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and ventilator dor severe breathing problems.
Some patients will also have to depend on physiotherapy to help with movement and prevention of pressure sores.
