Guillain-Barré syndrome in children: clinic, laboratorial and epidemiologic study of 61 patients

Abstract

The aim of the study was to analyze the epidemiologic, clinical, laboratory and development profile of Guillain-Barré syndrome series studied at the Child Institute, between 1989 and 2000. From the 61 patients that fulfilled the selection criteria, aged between 7 months and 13 years old, no sexual or seasonal variation was observed. Clinical events prior to neurological symptoms (with an average time gap of 20.7 days) were observed in 62.3%, 55% had cranial nerve disturbances, 27.9% dysautonomic symptoms, and 27.9% respiratory dysfunction. Installation time varied from 2-40 days, plateau from 0-28 days and recuperation from 30-480 days; 94% of patients had a complete clinical recuperation. Electrophysiology in 20 patients disclosed an abnormal demyelination pattern in 15, an exclusively motor axonal pattern in 4 and a mixed pattern in 1 patient. The results obtained did not differ from those in the literature but it was observed that boys and older children had a longer recuperation time. It was not possible to correlate electroneurography with clinical abnormalities and evolution due to the reduced number of patients.