title: Outcome of severe Guillain-Barré syndrome in children: comparison between untreated cases versus gamma-globulin therapy.
abstract: The objective of this study was to assess retrospectively the outcome of children with severe Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) treated either with intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) versus practically untreated cases by a known beneficial agent. Twenty-three children with severe GBS who became bedridden (i.e., Motor Disability Grading Scale [MDGS] grade of at least 4) were analyzed. Fifteen children were treated with IVIG and eight children comprised the nontreatment group: five on supportive therapy and three treated previously with oral steroids found ineffective in GBS. IVIG was administered at a dosage of 1 g/kg daily for 2 days under constant monitoring, with no adverse effects requiring cessation of therapy. Improvement by 1 grade on the MDGS after IVIG therapy was achieved in the IVIG group after a mean of 10.17 days (median, 8 days), and patients started walking independently after a mean of 30.35 days (median, 20.5 days). Improvement by 1 grade on the MDGS was achieved in the nontreatment group after a mean of 22.3 days (median, 20.3 days), and they started to walk independently after a mean of 113.3 days (median, 100 days). A significant difference could not be delineated between both groups, given the rather small number of children in each group. These results indicate a possible beneficial effect of IVIG in severe childhood-onset GBS compared with the nontreated group of children. The authors therefore recommend using IVIG as the first-line drug in such cases, which warrant further approval after double-blind controlled studies of using different IVIG regimens or combined with plasmapheresis and steroids.
authors.affiliation: Child Neurology Unit, Meyer Children Hospital, Rambam Medical Center, Rappaport School of Medicine, Haifa, Israel 31096. e_shahar@rambam.health.gov.il
authors.forename: Eli
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shahar
authors.forename: Maxim
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leiderman
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D005719:gamma-Globulins / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D005719:gamma-Globulins