title: Association of Campylobacter jejuni infection with childhood Guillain-Barré syndrome: a case-control study.
abstract: A prospective case-control study was conducted to determine the association between Campylobacter jejuni infection and childhood Guillain-Barré syndrome in the Indian population. We found evidence of recent Campylobacter jejuni infection in 27.7% of patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome, as compared with 2.3% in neurological controls (P = .003) and 2.3% in nonneurological controls (P = .003). Of the 15 patients with Campylobacter jejuni infection, 8 (53.3%) reported having had diarrhea within 12 weeks before the onset of the neurologic illness. Our results suggest association between recent Campylobacter jejuni infection and bulbar weakness (P = .043). No statistical difference was observed between the Campylobacter jejuni positive and negative groups with respect to age, other clinical features, albuminocytological dissociation, and residual paralysis at follow-up. It is concluded that subclinical Campylobacter jejuni infection is an important antecedent illness in childhood Guillain-Barré syndrome in the Indian population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi 110029, India. kalra.veena@gmail.com
authors.forename: Veena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kalra
authors.forename: Rama
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chaudhry
authors.forename: Tarun
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dua
authors.forename: Benu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dhawan
authors.forename: Jitendra K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Sahu
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mridula
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D010243:Paralysis / Q000150:complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors