Evaluation of Factors Associated with the Clinical Course and Prognosis of Patients with Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Abstract

Aim: This study aims to investigate the clinical, laboratory, electrophysiological, and demographic characteristics of patients with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) who were admitted to our clinic and underwent treatment and the factors contributing to the prognosis at discharge.Materials and Methods: The study included 138 patients admitted to our clinic for treatment between January 2013 and December 2017, whose patient records were reviewed retrospectively. The Hughes scores, demographic characteristics, and clinical and laboratory data of the patients at admission and discharge were recorded.Results: The study sample comprised 61 female (44.2%) and 77 male (55.8%) patients with a mean age of 58.1 years. In evaluations of the Hughes scores at admission and discharge, 117 patients were considered to have a good prognosis and 21 patients to have a poor prognosis at discharge. In the poor prognosis group, advanced age (p=0.028), being in the acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN) subtype (p=0.001), development of sepsis (p=0.007), need for mechanical ventilation (p<0.001), high Hughes scores on admission (p<0.001), extended hospitalization (p=0.030), increased WBC count (p=0.033), presence of hyponatremia (p<0.001), abnormal liver function test (p=0.08) were higher than the good prognosis group.Conclusion: Early identification of GBS patients who may have a poor prognosis and rapid application of appropriate treatment methods are essential in creating positive effects on the clinical course and prognosis in this patient group.