scholarly journals Real-world treatment of adult patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome over the last two decades

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakob Rath ◽  
Gudrun Zulehner ◽  
Bernadette Schober ◽  
Anna Grisold ◽  
Martin Krenn ◽  
...  

AbstractThis study investigated treatment characteristics of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in a real-world setting between 2000 and 2019. We analyzed clinical improvement between nadir and last follow-up in patients with severe GBS (defined as having a GBS disability scale > 2 at nadir) and aimed to detect clinical factors associated with multiple treatments. We included 121 patients (74 male; median age 48 [IQR 35–60]) with sensorimotor (63%), pure motor (15%), pure sensory (10%) and localized GBS (6%) as well as Miller Fisher syndrome (6%). 44% of patients were severely affected. All but one patient received at least one immunomodulatory treatment with initially either intravenous immunoglobulins (88%), plasma exchange (10%) or corticosteroids (1%), and 25% of patients received more than one treatment. Severe GBS but not age, sex, GBS subtype or date of diagnosis was associated with higher odds to receive more than one treatment (OR 4.22; 95%CI 1.36–13.10; p = 0.01). Receiving multiple treatments had no adjusted effect (OR 1.30, 95%CI 0.31–5.40, p = 0.72) on clinical improvement between nadir and last follow-up in patients with severe GBS. This treatment practice did not change over the last 20 years.

Neurology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. e59-e76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Verboon ◽  
Alex Y. Doets ◽  
Giuliana Galassi ◽  
Amy Davidson ◽  
Waqar Waheed ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo define the current treatment practice of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS).MethodsThe study was based on prospective observational data from the first 1,300 patients included in the International GBS Outcome Study. We described the treatment practice of GBS in general, and for (1) severe forms (unable to walk independently), (2) no recovery after initial treatment, (3) treatment-related fluctuations, (4) mild forms (able to walk independently), and (5) variant forms including Miller Fisher syndrome, taking patient characteristics and hospital type into account.ResultsWe excluded 88 (7%) patients because of missing data, protocol violation, or alternative diagnosis. Patients from Bangladesh (n = 189, 15%) were described separately because 83% were not treated. IV immunoglobulin (IVIg), plasma exchange (PE), or other immunotherapy was provided in 941 (92%) of the remaining 1,023 patients, including patients with severe GBS (724/743, 97%), mild GBS (126/168, 75%), Miller Fisher syndrome (53/70, 76%), and other variants (33/40, 83%). Of 235 (32%) patients who did not improve after their initial treatment, 82 (35%) received a second immune modulatory treatment. A treatment-related fluctuation was observed in 53 (5%) of 1,023 patients, of whom 36 (68%) were re-treated with IVIg or PE.ConclusionsIn current practice, patients with mild and variant forms of GBS, or with treatment-related fluctuations and treatment failures, are frequently treated, even in absence of trial data to support this choice. The variability in treatment practice can be explained in part by the lack of evidence and guidelines for effective treatment in these situations.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Yahia Z. Imam ◽  
Dirk Deleu

Background. Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) has many variants with distinct presentations. Ptosis as an initial presentation is rare.Case Report. We describe a young female with bilateral ptosis without ophthalmoplegia as the initial presentation of Guillain-Barré ptosis in an anti-GQ1b IgG antibody negative patient with a favorable outcome to intravenous immunoglobulins.Objectives. Our paper highlights the importance of recognizing GBS as a potential etiology in a patient presenting with isolated ptosis, particularly since the course of GBS can be more dramatic than in the anti-GBQ1b syndromes such as ophthalmoparesis without ataxia and Miller Fisher syndrome or ocular myasthenia.Conclusion. This is the first paper of anti-GBQ1b antibody negative GBS presenting with isolated ptosis without ophthalmoparesis. GBS should be included in the list of differential diagnosis of such presentations.


Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 167
Author(s):  
Pasquale Sansone ◽  
Luca Gregorio Giaccari ◽  
Caterina Aurilio ◽  
Francesco Coppolino ◽  
Valentina Esposito ◽  
...  

Background. Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is the most common cause of flaccid paralysis, with about 100,000 people developing the disorder every year worldwide. Recently, the incidence of GBS has increased during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) epidemics. We reviewed the literature to give a comprehensive overview of the demographic characteristics, clinical features, diagnostic investigations, and outcome of SARS-CoV-2-related GBS patients. Methods. Embase, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Central Trials Register were systematically searched on 24 September 2020 for studies reporting on GBS secondary to COVID-19. Results. We identified 63 articles; we included 32 studies in our review. A total of 41 GBS cases with a confirmed or probable COVID-19 infection were reported: 26 of them were single case reports and 6 case series. Published studies on SARS-CoV-2-related GBS typically report a classic sensorimotor type of GBS often with a demyelinating electrophysiological subtype. Miller Fisher syndrome was reported in a quarter of the cases. In 78.1% of the cases, the response to immunomodulating therapy is favourable. The disease course is frequently severe and about one-third of the patients with SARS-CoV-2-associated GBS requires mechanical ventilation and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission. Rarely the outcome is poor or even fatal (10.8% of the cases). Conclusion. Clinical presentation, course, response to treatment, and outcome are similar in SARS-CoV-2-associated GBS and GBS due to other triggers.


Vaccine ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 599-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
James J. Sejvar ◽  
Katrin S. Kohl ◽  
Jane Gidudu ◽  
Anthony Amato ◽  
Nandini Bakshi ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-51
Author(s):  
Gian Luca Vita ◽  
Carmen Terranova ◽  
Maria Sframeli ◽  
Antonio Toscano ◽  
Giuseppe Vita

Introduction: Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is an acute, immune-mediated, generalized polyradiculoneuropathy often triggered by a bacterial or viral infection, vaccination, or surgery. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, some patients were reported with GBS associated COVID-19 infection. Case Presentation: We report, herein, a patient who had a recurrent GBS after forty years. Intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg) induced improvement, but her condition worsened suddenly after twenty days, coinciding with a COVID-19 infection. A second IVIg cycle was administered, and she improved again. Conclusion: The take-home message is that in the current pandemic, any re-worsening or lack of improvement after appropriate treatment of GBS or possibly other autoimmune neurological diseases must be checked to determine if it is related to COVID-19 infection.


Author(s):  
Hélio Martins ◽  
Joana Mendonça ◽  
David Paiva ◽  
Carlos Fernandes ◽  
Jorge Cotter

A 55 years-old Caucasian male presented initially in the emergency room reporting myalgia, chills and fever. Physical exam and laboratory tests were unremarkable and he was discharged with symptomatic care. He returned to our ER two weeks later reporting dizziness, loss of balance, blurred vision, mild dysarthria and bilateral hand paresthesia. On examination he presented complete bilateral ophthalmoplegia, mild dysarthria, left finger-to-nose dysmetria, ataxia, areflexia and bilateral hand hypoesthesia without fever. Blood tests and head computed tomography were normal. The patient was admitted to the Internal Medicine department. On second day inwards the patient presented dysphagia. Head magnetic resonance angiogram showed no signs of ischemia or vascular disease and a lumbar puncture was performed but no pleocytosis, albumin-cytological dissociation or hypoglycorrhachia was present. Despite the normal results we suspected of a Guillain–Barré syndrome variant, and started treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in a dose of 400mg per kilogram and continued for five days with immediate neurological improvement. We present a rare overlapping case of Miller Fisher syndrome and Pharyngeal-Cervical-Brachial variant of Guillain–Barré syndrome.


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