Guillain-Barre syndrome: A single-center experience

Objectives: This study aimed to describe the clinical and electrophysiological characteristics and outcomes of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) in the Sivas province. Patients and methods: In this retrospective study, the medical files and the electrophysiological raw data of 69 patients (43 males, 26 females; mean age: 55.8 +/- 17 years; range, 20 to 88 years) with GBS who were admitted between January 1, 2011, and January 1, 2023, were reviewed. The outcomes were in-hospital mortality and the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at hospital discharge. Results: The subtypes of GBS were as follows: acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (n=33, 47.8%), acute motor axonal neuropathy (n=10, 14.5%), acute motor and sensory axonal neuropathy (n=11, 15.9%), Miller Fisher syndrome (n=2, 2.9%), and unclassified (n=13, 18.8%). Sixteen (23.2%) patients were admitted to the intensive care unit due to respiratory insufficiency or dysautonomia. Fourteen (20.3%) of the patients needed mechanical ventilation. The median mRS score at hospital discharge was 2 (IQR, 1-5). The in-hospital mortality rate was 8.7%. Age, blood glucose level on admission, bulbar symptoms, dysautonomia, respiratory compromise necessitating mechanical ventilation, and intensive care unit admission were found to be independently associated with in-hospital mortality. Age, cerebrospinal fluid glucose levels, and the length of hospital stay were positively correlated, and symptom duration on admission and serum albumin levels were negatively correlated with mRS scores at discharge. Conclusion: Axonal variants were common and associated with unfavorable outcomes in the Sivas province.