A case report on rapid clinical recovery and satisfactory outcome of a toddler with probable Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

Abstract

Introduction: Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) is the most frequent cause of acute and sub-acute flaccid paralysis after polio eradication. Although rare, it is recognized as the leading cause of flaccid paralysis among the admissions to pediatric intensive care for acute neuromuscular diseases. Objective: To report the case of a 14-month-old male patient with a probable diagnosis of GBS with acute, myelinated motor sensitive neuropathy, with probable secondary axonal involvement, with rapid clinical recovery. Case Report: A male patient admitted in a reference hospital in the Federal District, Brazil, residing in the Integrated Development Region of the Federal District and Surroundings. The child was 14 months old and 8.6 kg, with an updated vaccination status and neuropsychomotor development appropriate for his age, with a condition of paresis in the lower limbs, without cognitive changes. After 14 hours of admission, due to the worsening of his clinical situation and the albumino-cytological dissociation identified by the analysis of cerebrospinal fluid, it was started immunotherapy with intravenous human immunoglobulin, 0.7g/kg/day for three days. Twenty four hours after start of treatment, the child showed a clinical improvement of his general condition. The patient was discharged after five days of hospitalization. After 76 days of discharge, there was a significant improvement in neuropsychomotor development, despite a slight delay in its development. Conclusion: Due to the rarity of Guillain-Barrè Syndrome among young children, it is important that health professionals remain sensitive to capture and treat unusual cases in a timely manner. We also recommend that the identified cases be monitored carefully, in order to check if the Guillain-Barré Syndrome, and its variants, can explain developmental disorders a posteriori.