Yeungnam Univ J Med.  2005 Jun;22(1):52-61.

Clinical and Electrophysiological Study on Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Neurology, Daegu Geriatric Hospital, Daegu, Korea.
  • 2Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Korea. jshah@med.yu.ac.kr

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Guillain-Barre syndrome is defined as a recognizable clinical entity that is characterized by rapidly evolving symmetric limb weakness, the loss of tendon reflexes, absent or mild sensory signs, and variable autonomic dysfunctions. This study evaluated the clinical and electrophysiological findings retrospectively. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-five patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome, who were admitted to the Yeungnam University Hospital for six years from Jan. 1994 to Dec. 1999 were investigated. The correlation between the clinical manifestation and the electrophysiological study was evaluated. RESULTS: The male to female ratio was 1.8: 1 and there was a peak seasonal incidence in the winter. A preceding illness was noted in 66.7% of cases, and an upper respiratory tract infection was the most common one. The most common clinical manifestations were a loss of tendon reflex and ascending muscle weakness and paralysis. The cerebrospinal fluid examinations revealed, albuminocytologic dissociation in 33 cases (73.3%). Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy was performed in 29 cases (64.4%). The sequential electrophysiological abnormalities were most marked at 2 to 4 weeks after onset. At that time the most significant change was a decrease in the compound muscle action potential amplitude. These 45 patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome were subclassified using the clinical and electrophysiological data. CONCLUSION: The result in this study, concured with other research on the clinical and electrophysiological data of Guillain-Barre syndrome. However, an extensive and dynamic investigation is necessary to determine the reason for the peak seasonal incidence in winter.

Keyword

Guillain-Barre syndrome; Electrophysiological study; Clinical findings

MeSH Terms

Action Potentials
Cerebrospinal Fluid
Extremities
Female
Guillain-Barre Syndrome*
Humans
Immunization, Passive
Incidence
Male
Muscle Weakness
Paralysis
Reflex, Stretch
Respiratory Tract Infections
Retrospective Studies
Seasons
Full Text Links
  • YUJM
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr