title: Guillain-Barré syndrome mimics primary biliary cirrhosis-related myopathy.
abstract: Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an immune-mediated disorder characterized by acute polyneuropathy, ascending paralysis and post infectious polyneuritis. Two-thirds of patients present with a history of recent upper respiratory tract or gastrointestinal infection. The clinical history, neurologic examination and laboratory assessment allow for a straightforward diagnosis in the majority of cases. However, primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is known to cause clinically detectable muscular weakness. It is therefore critical to differentiate between PBC-associated muscular weakness and GBS-induced paralysis. Here, we report a patient with a longstanding history of PBC who developed progressive weakness and respiratory failure due to GBS, which clinically mimicked PBC myopathy. This is the first reported association between GBS and PBC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology , Yale School of Medicine , New Haven, CT , USA.
authors.forename: William R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Munday
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology , Yale School of Medicine , New Haven, CT , USA.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: DiCapua
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology , Yale School of Medicine , New Haven, CT , USA.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vortmeyer
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep , Yale School of Medicine , New Haven, CT , USA.
authors.forename: Jose Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Gomez