title: Acute oropharyngeal palsy is associated with antibodies to GQ1b and GT1a gangliosides.
abstract: Three patients with acute oropharyngeal palsy had high titre anti-GQ1b and anti-GT1a IgG antibodies. No patients had ophthalmoplegia or ptosis. In all patients limb ataxia or areflexia were present without notable limb weakness. These patients describe an oropharyngeal variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome in terms of anti-GQ1b antibody reactivity and show that high titre anti-GQ1b antibodies, serologically indistinguishable from those found in Miller Fisher syndrome, can occur in a clinical setting without ophthalmoplegia. The anti-GQ1b and anti-GT1a antibody assays may be helpful tests when considering the differential diagnosis of acute oropharyngeal palsy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Institute of Neurological Sciences, Southern General Hospital, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: O'Leary
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Veitch
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Durward
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Rees
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Willison
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005732:Gangliosides / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009960:Oropharynx / Q000276:immunology*; D011129:Polyradiculoneuropathy / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D005732:Gangliosides