title: Clinical presentation and outcome of Guillain-Barré and related syndromes in relation to anti-ganglioside antibodies.
abstract: We correlated the clinical features of 78 patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) or related variants, with the presence of serum antibodies to the gangliosides GM1, GM2, GD1a, GD1b and GQ1b in order to determine whether these antibodies may influence the clinical presentation or outcome of GBS. Sixty-three patients had typical GBS (81%), nine a pure motor form (11%), three a paraparetic form (4%), and three had Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS). IgG or IgM (or both) anti-ganglioside antibodies were found by ELISA in 37% of patients, including 36% with typical, 33% with pure motor and 100% with MFS. Beside the constant occurrence of anti-GQ1b antibodies in patients with MFS (P<0.00001), the other clinical forms were not associated with a specific anti-ganglioside reactivity. Anti-GM1 and anti-GD1a antibodies tended to be associated with a worse disability at 6 month than other or no reactivity and, similarly to anti-GM2 antibodies, with a more frequent respiratory impairment. Anti-GM2 and anti-GD1b antibodies were always associated with typical GBS and, in all but one patient, with a complete recovery; still they were found in only 13 and 3%, respectively, of the patients with this presentation. Anti-GQ1b antibodies, though always associated with ophthalmoplegia and ataxia in both MFS and GBS, were found in only 36 and 26%, respectively, of patients with these symptoms. Even if different anti-ganglioside antibodies tend to be associated with some clinical features possibly suggesting that they may influence the clinical presentation or outcome, with the exception of anti-GQ1b antibodies for ophthalmoplegia and ataxia, they do not permit to predict the clinical presentation or outcome in individual patients.
authors.affiliation: Giorgio Spagnol Service of Clinical Neuroimmunology, Centro Dino Ferrari, Institute of Clinical Neurology, IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Via F. Sforza 35, 20122, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carpo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pedotti
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Allaria
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lolli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matà
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cavaletti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Protti
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pomati
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scarlato
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nobile-Orazio
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000276:immunology; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D005732:Gangliosides / Q000276:immunology*; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019846:Miller Fisher Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001323:Autoantibodies; D005732:Gangliosides