Clinical and electrophysiological characteristics of Guillain-Barré syndrome in Colombia

J Peripher Nerv Syst. 2019 Sep;24(3):268-271. doi: 10.1111/jns.12340. Epub 2019 Aug 18.

Abstract

Despite the wide literature describing the features of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in different populations worldwide, Colombian data are very scarce. We aim to characterize patients with GBS in a general hospital setting in Colombia. We conducted a retrospective chart review of GBS cases managed at the Hospital Universitario Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá, from 2011 to 2016. Twenty-three patients were included. The most commonly reported symptoms were paresthesias (65%), pain (61%), proximal (22%) and distal (74%) limb weakness, and facial palsy (30%). 9% of patients had Fisher syndrome and 21% had other variants: Bickerstaff, pharyngeal-cervical-brachial pattern, and facial diplegia. There was a predominance of the demyelinating form (70%), with only 22% of patients presenting with the axonal variants. Our results are concordant with previous studies in Colombia.

Keywords: Colombia; Guillain-Barré syndrome; South America; acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy; acute motor and sensory axonal neuropathy; acute motor axonal neuropathy.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Colombia
  • Electromyography
  • Female
  • Guillain-Barre Syndrome / complications
  • Guillain-Barre Syndrome / diagnosis*
  • Guillain-Barre Syndrome / physiopathology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Miller Fisher Syndrome / complications
  • Miller Fisher Syndrome / diagnosis
  • Miller Fisher Syndrome / physiopathology
  • Muscle Weakness / etiology*
  • Muscle Weakness / physiopathology
  • Muscle, Skeletal / physiopathology
  • Neural Conduction / physiology*
  • Pain / etiology*
  • Pain / physiopathology
  • Paresthesia / etiology*
  • Paresthesia / physiopathology
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Symptom Assessment