GBS

Abbreviation with 2 meanings

GBS
Stands forGroup B Streptococcus
Meanings2
CategoriesMedical

GBS has two meanings. It stands for Group B Streptococcus (obstetrics & gynecology) or Guillain-Barré syndrome (neurology).

Meanings of GBS at a glance

#GBS stands forContext
1Group B StreptococcusMedical › Obstetrics & Gynecology
2Guillain-Barré syndromeMedical › Neurology

1. Group B Streptococcus

Medical · Obstetrics & Gynecology Abbreviations

Bacterium (Streptococcus agalactiae) carried in the vagina or rectum of about a quarter of pregnant people, harmless to the carrier but able to cause severe infection in newborns. Screening by swab at 36–37 weeks identifies carriers, who receive IV antibiotics during labor.

Example: GBS positive at 36 weeks; penicillin G IV in labor, ideally 4 hours before delivery.

Universal screening and intrapartum antibiotics, widely adopted in the US since the 1990s, have dramatically reduced early-onset neonatal GBS disease. Penicillin remains first-line, with alternatives for allergic patients. Antibiotics given at least four hours before birth are considered adequate. In neurology GBS means Guillain-Barré syndrome.

2. Guillain-Barré syndrome

Medical · Neurology Abbreviations

Acute autoimmune attack on peripheral nerves, typically causing tingling and weakness that start in the feet and ascend over days to weeks, with loss of reflexes. It often follows an infection such as Campylobacter jejuni gastroenteritis or a respiratory illness.

Example: Ascending weakness and areflexia 2 weeks after diarrheal illness; CSF protein 180 with normal cells: GBS, IVIG started.

Named for Georges Guillain, Jean-Alexandre Barré and André Strohl, who described it in 1916. Roughly a quarter of patients need mechanical ventilation, so breathing capacity is monitored closely. Treatment with IVIG or plasma exchange shortens recovery, and most patients recover substantially. CSF classically shows high protein with normal cell count. In obstetrics GBS means group B streptococcus.

More obstetrics & gynecology abbreviations

  • FGR – Fetal growth restriction
  • FHR – Fetal heart rate
  • G/P – Gravida/para
  • GA – Gestational age
  • GCT – Glucose challenge test
  • GSM – Genitourinary syndrome of menopause
  • GTPAL – Gravida, term, preterm, abortions, living
  • HELLP – Hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelets

See all 89 obstetrics & gynecology abbreviations →

More neurology abbreviations

  • EVD – External ventricular drain
  • EVT – Endovascular thrombectomy
  • FAST – Face, Arm, Speech, Time
  • FTD – Frontotemporal dementia
  • GTC – Generalized tonic-clonic seizure
  • HA – Headache
  • HD – Huntington's disease
  • HIE – Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

See all 131 neurology abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.

This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.