An outbreak of Guillain-Barré syndrome from Shuangyang district of Changchun, China / 中华神经科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To clearify the features of an outbreak of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) from Shuangyang district of Changchun city, Jilin province, China.Methods Serum samples obtained were tested serologically for antibodies to chlamydia, coxsackie virus, cytomegalovirus, and hepatitis B virus.Stool samples obtained were cultivated to search Campylobacterjejuni.Electrudiagnostic studies were done 1 day after onset to 10 days.Results Twenty-two patients (12 males and 10 females, aged 15-71 years) were from Shuangyang district, a suburb of Changchun, during a 2-week period in June to July 2007.An illness in the preceding 4 weeks was reported in 17 patients, 16 gave a history of diarrhoea, 1 patient had symptoms consistent with an "upper respiratory infection" and 1 patient had both.Limb weakness were the earliest symptoms.Respiratory assistance was needed by 3 patients.Tendon reflexes were lost as weakness developed.Eleven patients had raised concentrations of protein in the cerebrospinal fluid ((0.74±0.32) g/L), and the averaged cell count was 3×106/L There were 3 kinds of antibodies of hepatitis B virus positive above 17 GBS patients.Electrodiagnostic studies showed severe reductions in motor evoked amplitudes from distal stimulation in 12 patients.Sensory action potentials were normal.Conclusions The distinctive epidemiologicai, clinical and electromyography characteristics of these patients suggest that the disorder, different from acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, is concordant with acute motor axonal neurupathy.The features of Shuangyang GBS was similar to those previously reported in several aspects.