Pune: 

A 59-year-old man suffering from Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) has died in a hospital here, taking the death toll due to the rare nerve disorder in Pune and surrounding areas to eight, health officials said on Wednesday.

The total of suspected and confirmed GBS cases in Maharashtra rose to 203 after five more infections were reported during the day, they said. The tally of confirmed cases is 176, and 20 patients are on ventilator support.

"The deceased was admitted to the hospital following weakness and inability to stand up. A nerve conduction velocity (NCV) test was conducted and he was diagnosed with `acute motor axonal neuropathy', a rare type of GBS that causes paralysis and loss of reflexes," said a release from the Pune Municipal Corporation.

The deceased was given `plasmapheresis', a treatment for peripheral neuropathy. On Tuesday he suffered sudden cardiac arrest and died, the officials said.

Among 203 GBS cases in the state, 41 patients hailed from the Pune Municipal Corporation area, 94 from villages that were brought under the PMC limits in recent years, 29 from neighbouring Pimpri-Chinchwad township, 31 from Pune rural region and eight from other districts of Maharashtra. Of these cases, 52 patients are in ICU and 20 are on ventilators, said a release from the state health department.

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.

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