title: [Acute polyradiculoneuritis in children: apropos of 71 cases].
abstract: The authors report a retrospective study of 71 cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome in children. The sex ratio was 1.2/1 and the mean age 5.5 years. A history of infection preceded the polyradiculoneuritis in 50% of the cases. Sudden onset was observed in 65%. The mean duration of extensive phase was 6 days (1-20) and the mean duration of the maximum paralysis was 18 days (3-90). A quadriplegia was present in 30 cases, a severe respiratory involvement in 6 cases, a cranial nerve paralysis in 7 cases. An early raised cerebrospinal fluid protein concentration was found in 73%. The motility recuperation time was one month in 53%. A one year follow-up was obtained in 45 patients and 62% had completely recovered clinically. Four patients died, two from respiratory failure, one from autonomic neuropathy, and one from cerebral haemorrhage with associated idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Thirty-two children were followed-up during 3 years and more, 10 (31%) had residual deficits. The functional prognostic factors were the age, the duration of the extension phase and of the plateau phase.
authors.affiliation: Service de pédiatrie, hôpital d'Enfants, Tunis, Jebbari, Tunisie.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trabelsi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mokrani
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bennaceur
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003389:Cranial Nerve Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010243:Paralysis / Q000209:etiology*; D011129:Polyradiculoneuropathy / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011379:Prognosis; D012133:Respiratory Paralysis / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies
vernacular_title: Polyradiculonévrites aiguës de l'enfant: à propos de 71 cas.