title: Clinical features and prognosis with Guillain-Barré syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute inflammatory polyneuropathy commonly characterized by rapidly progressive, symmetric weakness and areflexia.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively assessed the clinical manifestations, results of electrodiagnostic tests, functional status and prognosis of 36 children diagnosed with GBS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Based on clinical and electrophysiological findings, the patients were classified as having acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (AIDP) (n = 25), acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN) (n = 10) and acute motor-sensory axonal neuropathy (AMSAN) (n = 1). Twenty (55.5%) patients were males and 16 (44.5%) patients were females. The mean age of the 36 patients was 68.1 ± 45.01 months (range, 6-180 months). Five (13.8%) patients were younger than 2 years. The most common initial symptoms were limb weakness, which was documented in 34 (94.4%) patients. In our study, 18 patients (51.4%) showed albuminocytological dissociation (raised protein concentration without pleocytosis) on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination. Three patients (8.3%) required mechanical ventilation therapy during hospitalization. Unfortunately, three (8.3%) patients died; one patient had AIDP and two patients had axonal involvement (one case was AMAN and another case was AMSAN). When we compared the cases of residual sequel/dead and cases of complete recovery for neural involvement type including AIDP, AMAN and AMSAN, we did not find a statistically significant difference between the groups (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings showed that cases of GBS was not uncommon in children younger than 2 years of age, and CSF protein level might be found high in the first week of the disease in about one half of the patients, with a higher rate of morbidity and mortality in patients with axonal involvement than in those with AIDP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Yuzuncu Yil University, Van, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sinan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akbayram
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Doğan
authors.forename: Cihangir
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Akgün
authors.forename: Erdal
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Peker
authors.forename: Refah
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sayιn
authors.forename: Fesih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aktar
authors.forename: Mehmet-Selçuk
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Bektaş
authors.forename: Hüseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Caksen