Beyond the Ordinary: An Atypical Guillain-Barré Syndrome Case With Unique Characteristics

Cureus. 2023 Aug 23;15(8):e44008. doi: 10.7759/cureus.44008. eCollection 2023 Aug.

Abstract

We present a patient with pharyngeal-cervical-brachial Guillain-Barré syndrome (PCB-GBS) that progressed to a severe state followed by a quick recovery after treatment. This unique clinical course has not been documented previously and provides a potentially invaluable description of a novel GBS variant. A 42-year-old man arrived at the emergency department with a 24-hour history of dysphagia, weakness in his right arm, and bilateral shoulder weakness. Nerve conduction velocity testing revealed bilateral sensory and motor polyneuropathy, leading to the diagnosis of GBS with the PCB variant. Timely diagnosis and plasmapheresis treatment contributed to a complete recovery of muscle strength and reflexes. In cases resembling ours, it is imperative to contemplate the existence of rare Guillain-Barré variants. This case underscores the necessity of recognizing and addressing rare Guillain-Barré variants in clinical settings with similar presentations.

Keywords: guillain-barré syndrome; motor weakness; pharyngeal-cervical-brachial; plasmapheresis; polyneuropathy.

Publication types

  • Case Reports