Hyperreflexic Guillain-Barré syndrome

• Main Authors: Baheti Neeraj, Manuel Davis, Shinde Pranav, Radhakrishnan Ashalatha, Nair Muraleedharan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2010-01-01
• Series: Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology
• Subjects: AMAN; autoimmune polyradiculoneuropathy; Guillain-Barré syndrome
• Online Access: http://www.annalsofian.org/article.asp?issn=0972-2327;year=2010;volume=13;issue=4;spage=305;epage=307;aulast=Baheti

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acquired acute autoimmune polyradiculoneuropathy. The 2 features considered essential for the diagnosis of GBS are progressive motor weakness and areflexia. There have been several descriptions of reflex preservation and hyperreflexia in axonal variant of GBS in Chinese, Japanese, and European populations but it is not common in the Indian subcontinent. We report 2 such cases discussing the pathophysiology and management aspects. This case report is to impress upon treating physicians and neurologists in training that a hyperreflexic variant of GBS albeit rare, should not be missed in a given clinical setting.