title: Clinical variants of Guillain-Barré syndrome in children.
abstract: Guillain-Barré syndrome is characterized by acute progressive weakness, areflexia, and maximal motor disability that occur within 4 weeks of onset. Various clinical subtypes have been described since the original description of the syndrome. This study aimed to identify characteristics of clinical variants of Guillain-Barré syndrome through retrospective review of cases in Chang Gung Children's Hospital from 2000-2010. Forty-three Guillain-Barré syndrome patients were evaluated based on clinical presentations and an electrodiagnostic study. The most frequent variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome was demyelinating polyneuropathy (67.4%), followed by acute axonal neuropathy (7.0%), Miller Fisher syndrome (7.0%), Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis (7.0%), pharyngo-cervical-brachial variant (4.7%), and polyneuritis cranialis (4.7%). Follow-up revealed that 35 recovered satisfactorily, eight were persistently disabled, and none died during hospitalization. At the earliest stage, differentiating clinical variants from typical Guillain-Barré syndrome was difficult. Children with clinical variants of Guillain-Barré syndrome are more likely to manifest rapid onset from disease onset to nadir, increasing the severity of disability, cranial nerve involvement, urine incontinence, respiratory impairment, and need for ventilator support than in typical Guillain-Barré syndrome.
authors: Division of Pediatric Neurology, Chang Gung Children's Hospital and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors: Jainn-Jim
authors: JJ
authors: Lin
authors: Shao-Hsuan
authors: SH
authors: Hsia
authors: Huei-Shyong
authors: HS
authors: Wang
authors: Rong-Kuo
authors: RK
authors: Lyu
authors: Min-Liang
authors: ML
authors: Chou
authors: Po-Cheng
authors: PC
authors: Hung
authors: Meng-Ying
authors: MY
authors: Hsieh
authors: Kuang-Lin
authors: KL
authors: Lin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics*; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D012189:Retrospective Studies