BackgroundGuillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) is an immune-mediated inflammatory polyradiculoneuropathy. Respiratory failure is one of its recognized and most dreaded complications, requiring ventilatory assistance. Early recognition of distinct clinical predictors of mechanical ventilation may help in the better management of GBS patients in our setup.ObjectiveTo determine the clinical predictors indicating the need for mechanical ventilation in patients with Guillain Barre Syndrome and to compare the presenting features in patients who require mechanical ventilation and who do not.MethodIt was a prospective observational study. A total of 100 consecutive patients, over the period of one year, were included in this study. All patients were clinically examined for limb weakness, neck weakness, bulbar and facial nerve involvement, and followed up till seven days of hospitalization for whether the patient required mechanical ventilation or not. Results were recorded on a specifically designed proforma. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, US).ResultsOut of 100 patients, 13% required mechanical ventilation. When clinical presentations were compared in patients who required mechanical ventilation and those who did not, a shorter interval between the onset of symptoms and the attainment of maximal disability, facial weakness, bulbar dysfunction, and neck weakness turned out to be significant factors (p-value<0.000).ConclusionAccording to these significant outcomes of our study, the course of patients with GBS leading to mechanical ventilation can be predicted on the basis of clinical presentations. So we can recommend that shorter time duration between symptom onset and peak disability, along with the presence of facial, bulbar, and neck weakness, should be taken as an indication of impending respiratory failure.

Introduction Epilepsy is a burdensome disorder for affected individuals and community. There is limited data available on the epidemiological aspects of seizures in Pakistan and further research is necessary. We aimed to fill this gap by studying this information in epilepsy patients presenting to our neurology department. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the causes and types of seizures among the target population. Method This is a cross-sectional study conducted at the Department of Neurology, Dr. Ruth K.M. Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi. In this study we evaluated the causes and types of seizures among patients presenting to our department during the two-year study duration (January 2018-December 2019). Informed consent was taken. Detailed history was taken including features of seizure episodes, age at first seizure, family history and comorbid conditions. Relevant investigations were carried out. The data was compiled to deduce the relevant information using SPSS v20.0. T-test and Chi-square were used for analyzing the data.

Introduction: Neurological disorders, structural or functional, are prevalent all over the world and are accompanied by physical and social morbidity. In this study, we aimed to calculate the cost of investigating neurological disorders and compare the costs incurred in a government hospital with that in a private hospital.