Acute oropharyngeal palsy is associated with antibodies to GQ1b and GT1a gangliosides.
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.
O'Leary
C P
CP
Department of Neurology, Institute of Neurological Sciences, Southern General Hospital, Glasgow, UK.
Veitch
J
J
Durward
W F
WF
Thomas
A M
AM
Rees
J H
JH
Willison
H J
HJ
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*
D005732:Gangliosides