Introduction: Guillain-Barré syndrome, an acute polyradiculoneuropathy that presents with weakness and areflexia, is the most common cause of acute flaccid paralysis. In certain patients, respiratory failure is secondary to this disorder, eventually causing patients to require mechanical ventilation and experience additional complications due to diminished respiratory support and related mobility limitations. Prognoses for most of these cases are positive; treatment consists of basic support combined with plasmapheresis or administration of immunoglobulins.Objective: This study sought to describe the socio-demographic, clinical, laboratory and neurophysiological characteristics of patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome who were hospitalised in the Intensive Care Unit of the Neurological Institute of Colombia between 2006 and 2012.Methodology: This study presents a case series. Results: We surveyed 25 patients (32% female and 68% male) with Guillain-Barré syndrome and an average age of 54 years. Sixty per cent of these patients were admitted between days 3 and 7 after symptom onset; 64% had a history of respiratory infection and 20% had a history of intestinal infection. In addition, 84% of the patients presented with albuminocytological dissociation. We observed the following clinical subtypes of Guillain-Barré syndrome: inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy in 32%, acute motor-sensory axonal neuropathy in 28%, acute motor axonal neuropathy in 28%, and Miller Fisher syndrome in 12%. Conclusions:In this descriptive study of a group of critical care patients with GBS, results depended on patients' clinical severity at time of admission. Our findings are similar to results published in the international literature.Conclusiones: Esta descripción corresponde a un grupo de pacientes críticos con SGB; su desenlace estuvo determinado por la severidad del cuadro clínico al ingreso. Nuestros hallazgos son comparables con lo publicado en la literatura mundial.

Estudo com objetivo de estimar a prevalência e fatores associados ao uso de preservativo masculino em adolescentes e jovens de áreas de assentamento urbano de uma capital do centro-oeste brasileiro. Investigação de corte transversal, realizada em 105 adolescentes e jovens escolares de 12 a 24 anos, utilizando-se questionário estruturado. Do total de entrevistados, 61 (58,1%) haviam iniciado a vida sexual e destes, apenas 38,3% relataram uso regular do preservativo. Escolaridade acima de seis anos (p=0,02), acesso a informação sobre sexualidade com os pais (p=0,05) e na escola (p=0,04) foram fatores associados ao uso do preservativo. Os resultados deste estudo ratificam a importância de investimento em políticas de saúde que invistam no trabalho conjunto entre profissionais de saúde, família e instituições de ensino, visando minimizar a vulnerabilidade às Infecções Sexualmente Transmissíveis.