A girl with bilateral temporomandibular joint pain, generalized arthralgias, and inability to walk.
The authors present the case of a 6.5-year-old girl with bilateral temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain, generalized arthralgias, inability to walk, and absence of deep tendon reflexes in the context of Guillain-Barrè syndrome. TMJ pain was the sole manifestation for 3 days, before other typical symptoms appeared, an issue that initially led to an improper diagnosis. A thorough clinical examination along with laboratory and radiographic evaluation excluded other possible causes of TMJ pain. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first case of Guillain-Barrè syndrome in the pediatric population initially presenting with bilateral TMJ pain. Guillain-Barrè syndrome may be quite atypical in its expression, especially in young children, with pain being a common presenting symptom, and pediatricians should be alert to avoid misdiagnosis.
Sklirou
Evgenia
E
First Pediatrics Department, "P & A Kyriakou" Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece. esklirou@gmail.com
Mavrikou
Mersini
M
Voudris
Konstantinos A
KA
Stamoyannou
Lela
L
D018771:Arthralgia / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D020234:Gait Ataxia / Q000209:etiology*; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013705:Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Q000209:etiology*
D007136:Immunoglobulins