A 37 yr old friend died very unexpectedly. he turned out to have guienne barie (sp?). he died suddenly from a ruptured spleen. no trauma. why?

I'm sorry to hear it: The spleen is part of the immune system of the body. Guillian-barre synd (gbs) is a form of auto-immune disease. The body attacks itself. Cause is unknown, but, it often happens after a seemingly minor infection. It would make the spleen inflamed and very fragile. The slightest bump or even eating a hearty meal could crack it. (its attached to the stomach). If cracked, it bleeds fast.

Guillain-Barre is: An autoimmune polyneuritis seen in younger adults. It occurs after viral diseases such as mononucleosis, herpes but also after le and hodgkin disease. Non traumatic rupture of spleen can happen in diseased spleen usually cancers. The 2 conditions (mono and hodgkin) involve the spleen so this could be the link. Only an autopsy could have shed full light on the tragedy. Very sad...And very rare....