Infect Chemother.  2010 Dec;42(6):424-427. 10.3947/ic.2010.42.6.424.

A Case of Guillain-Barre Syndrome Following Plasmodium vivax infection

• Ko BJ
• Kim EJ
• Lim DS
• Park JW
• Tae JW
• Ryu JY
• Choi SH

• KMID: 2170325
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2010.42.6.424

Abstract

A 28-year-old male was admitted to our medical center with general myalgia and fever. After a series of tests, he was diagnosed with P. vivax malaria. On the 5th hospital day, the patient complained of tingling sensation on both hands and feet, which acutely progressed to ascending symmetric motor paralysis. Nerve conduction velocity test and cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed albumino-cytologic dissociation, suggesting polyradiculopathy, and thus he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome. After 5-day treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin, and antificial ventilator therapy the patient fully recovered. In the literature, only 22 cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome associated with Plasmodium have been reported; 19 cases were caused by Plasmodium falciparum and 3 were by P. vivax. Herein, we report the first case of Guillain-Barre Syndrome associated with P. vivax malaria in Korea.

Keyword

Guillain-Barre syndrome; Plasmodium vivax; Malaria

MeSH Terms

Adult
Dissociative Disorders
Fever
Foot
Guillain-Barre Syndrome
Hand
Humans
Immunoglobulins
Korea
Malaria
Malaria, Vivax
Male
Neural Conduction
Paralysis
Plasmodium
Plasmodium falciparum
Plasmodium vivax
Polyradiculopathy
Sensation
Ventilators, Mechanical
Immunoglobulins

Figure

• 

  Figure 1 Result of motor nerve conduction velocity. Right median nerve shows delayed latency (12.4 ms), low amplitude (0.1 mV), and slow velocity (37 m/sec). Left tibial nerve shows delayed latency (0.1 ms), low amplitude (0.9 mV), and slow velocity (28 m/sec).

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