(ge-yă´ bah-ra´) a neurological condition affecting the peripheral nervous system , especially the spinal nerves and cranial nerves . Muscular weakness usually starts in the lower limbs and moves upward through the body, but in some patients it affects the facial muscles and arms first and then moves downward. The paralysis is not accompanied by loss of sensation, but rather by abnormal sensations of tingling and numbness. Pathologic changes include demyelination , inflammation , edema , and nerve root compression. The cause is unknown, but it usually occurs 10 to 21 days after a fever such as one from respiratory infection or gastroenteritis . Called also acute idiopathic or acute postinfectious polyneuritis and Landry paralysis .