Predictors of Treatment Outcome and Clinical Profile among Guillain-Barre Syndrome Patients in South India

Background Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is one of the principal causes of acute neuromuscular weakness and paralysis worldwide. Its clinic-epidemiological profile and factors influencing its treatment outcomes in developing countries are very minimally studied.Objective The study aimed to find out the risk factors, clinical presentation, management, and predictors of treatment outcomes among GBS patients admitted in two tertiary care hospitals.Materials and Methods Medical records of 121 inpatients with GBS confirmed based on the Brighton criteria over the recent five-year period from June 2017 to May 2022 were examined. Assessment of the severity of GBS was done using the Hughes functional grading scale.Results The mean age at onset was 36.8 +/- 18.9 years. The majority of the patients [82 (67.8%)] were males. Antecedent illnesses within 1 month of onset of GBS were present among 34 (28.1%) patients. The majority of them developed respiratory tract illnesses [13 (38.2%)]. Recurrent history of GBS was observed among 4 (3.3%) patients. The median time gap between the onset of antecedent illnesses and the onset of GBS was 5 days (IQR 3, 10). The most common symptom among GBS patients was the weakness of the muscles of the extremities [117 (96.7%)]. The pattern of progression of weakness among 53 (45.3%) of these patients was from the lower to upper limbs. The most common sign noted was hypotonia [64(52.9%)]. Complications due to GBS were observed among 12 (9.9%) patients. The most common complication among them was respiratory distress in 11 (91.7%) patients, followed by autonomic dysfunctions in 8 (66.7%). Albuminocytological dissociation in cerebrospinal fluid was noted among 48 (39.7%) patients. The majority of patients in nerve conduction studies had acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy [61(50.4%)]. The majority of the GBS patients [68 (56.2%)] were treated using intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). 95 (78.5%) patients improved with treatment at the time of discharge. In multivariable analysis, the absence of antecedent illnesses (p =0.029), Brighton's diagnostic certainty levels 1 and 2 of GBS (p =0.024), and being on IVIG treatment (p =0.05) were associated with improvement in disease condition among the patients.Conclusion Appropriate diagnosis of GBS using both clinical and laboratory evidence and providing appropriate treatment along with more supervision among GBS patients with a history of antecedent illnesses will help improve their prognosis at the time of discharge.