title: [Relationship between parenteral gangliosides administration and the Guillain-Barré syndrome].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We carried out a case a case-control study to analyze the relationship between parenteral gangliosides administration and the Guillain-Barré syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrieved 64 patients with the diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome, and 148 controls. In cases and controls the proportion and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of subject receiving gangliosides, was calculated. The number of patients with the Guillain-Barré syndrome who needed ventilation or died was also calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four of 36 patients (95% CI = 81-0.6), over 40 years, received gangliosides prior to Guillain-Barré syndrome. One of these patients was ventilated (95% CI = 25-2) and died. None of the controls less than 40 years old took gangliosides, while from the 108 over 40 (95% CI = 15-4) 9 received gangliosides. None developed signs suggesting Guillain-Barré syndrome. Although gangliosides were more often used in Guillain-Barré syndrome (OR = 1.75), the difference was not significant (95% CI = 4.82-0.69).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present work proves that in spite of the association of Guillain-Barré syndrome, with gangliosides intake, there is no statistical difference between this group of patients and control population.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Neurología, Hospital de Santa Maria, Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Conceição
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Parreira
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ferro
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Sales-Luis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005677:G(M1) Ganglioside / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D005677:G(M1) Ganglioside
vernacular_title: Relación entre la administración parenteral de gangliósidos y el síndrome de Guillain-Barré.