All issues > Volume 12(1); 1969

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1969;12(1):13-20. Published online January 31, 1969.

Clinical Studies on Guillain-Barre Syndrome in Children

Ji Baik Kim¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

Recently there has been a trend to increase the number of the diagnosed cases which called for the special attention of the pediatrician. Author present here with the thirty six cases observed in pediatric age group. The records of all patients which were extensively studied and diagnosed as Guillain-Barre syndrome were reviewed both at Severance hospital and Wonju Union Christian Hospital for the period of five years from Jan. 1959 to Dec. 1963. 1) Twenty seven cases were found in males and 9 cases were female, in a ratio of three to one. The age ranged from one and a half years to 15 years with the peak incidence in the preschool age group. 2)Twenty nine cases of the 36 had preceding infections, 18 of which were upper respiratory in. nature. 3) On admission, most of them complained of muscle weakness or paralysis and a few had meningeal signs, all patients were afebrile. 4)Physical findings revealed paralysis of lower extremities in all 36, upper extremities in 16, cranial nerve in 9, and respiratory muscles in 5 cases. In all but two cases deep tendon reflex was either diminished or absent. 5)Albumino-cytologic dissociation of cerebrospinal fluids were detected in 28 cases and the remaining 8 cases were found to have no increase in protein level. 6) Twenty seven cases of the 36 were improved within 6 months and 2 were dead. Fatality rate diminished since the commencement of steroid therapy combined with physiotherapy and prognosis in children was better than that of aged group.

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