Background:
Guillian Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute autoimmune polyradiculoneuropathy
often associated with previous exposure to infectious agents.
Methods:
A clinical cohort of 41 patients with GBS admitted to the Base Hospital
Institute of the Federal District between May 2017 and April 2019 was
followed up for 1 year. Serological tests for arbovirus detection and
amplification of nucleic acids using polymerase chain reaction for zika
virus (ZIKV), dengue virus (DENV), and chikungunya virus (CHIKV) were
performed.
Results:
The cohort consisted of 61% men with a median age of 40 years, and 83% had
GBS-triggering events. A total of 54% had Grade 4 disability, 17% had Grade
3, 12% had Grade 2, 10% had Grade 5, and 7% had Grade 1. The classic form
occurred in 83% of patients. Nerve conduction evaluations revealed acute
demyelinating inflammatory polyneuropathy (51%), acute motor axonal
neuropathy (17%), acute sensory-motor neuropathy (15%), and indeterminate
forms (17%). Four patients were seropositive for DENV. There was no
laboratory detection of ZIKV or CHIKV infection. Ninety percent of patients
received human immunoglobulin. Intensive care unit admission occurred in
17.1% of the patients, and mechanical ventilation was used in 14.6%. One
patient died of Bickerstaff’s encephalitis. Most patients showed an
improvement in disability at 10 weeks of follow-up.
Conclusions:
GBS in the Federal District showed a variable clinical spectrum, and it was
possible to detect recent exposure to DENV.
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