Surgery itself does not trigger Guillain-Barré syndrome

Guillain-Barré syndrome: immunopathogenesis and therapeutic targets

INTRODUCTION

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a group of acute immune-mediated disorders in the peripheral nervous system. Both infectious and noninfectious factors are associated with GBS, which may act as triggers of autoimmune responses leading to neural damage and dysfunction.

AREAS COVERED

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its vaccines as well as flaviviruses have been associated with GBS, although a robust conclusion has yet to be reached. Immunomodulatory treatments, including intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg) and plasma exchange (PE), have long been the first-line therapies for GBS. Depending on GBS subtype and severity at initial presentation, the efficacy of IVIg and PE can be variable. Several new therapies showing benefits to experimental animals merit further investigation before translation into clinical practice. We review the state-of-the-art knowledge on the immunopathogenesis of GBS in the context of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Immunomodulatory therapies in GBS, including IVIg, PE, corticosteroids, and potential therapies, are summarized.

EXPERT OPINION

The association with SARS-CoV-2 remains uncertain, with geographical differences that are difficult to explain. Evidence and guidelines are lacking for the decision-making of initiating immunomodulatory therapies in mildly affected patients or patients with regional subtypes of GBS.

Fatal Autonomic Dysfunction Due to Guillain-Barré Syndrome After Cardiac Surgery

Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare peripheral neuropathy, appears to occur more often in patients who have recently undergone surgery than in the general population. However, the pathophysiologic relationship between surgery and Guillain-Barré syndrome is elusive. Few cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome after cardiac surgery have been reported. Autonomic dysfunction, a serious complication of Guillain-Barré syndrome, has not been previously reported after cardiac surgery. We describe the case of a 71-year-old woman in whom the acute motor axonal neuropathic subtype of Guillain-Barré syndrome developed after mitral valve replacement. Despite plasmapheresis and intravenous immunoglobulin therapy, she died of complications from severe autonomic dysfunction 25 days postoperatively. Recognizing the potential cardiovascular involvement of Guillain-Barré syndrome is important, because patients who undergo cardiac surgery can be vulnerable to autonomic dysfunction in the early postoperative period.

Guillain-Barre syndrome after coronary artery bypass graft surgery: a case report and literature review

Background

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is an acute polyradiculoneuropathy, often preceded by an infection. Rarely, it is preceded by a surgical procedure. Most of the postsurgical GBS cases are reported with the neurosurgical, gastrointestinal, orthopedic, and cardiac procedures. GBS is rarely reported after a coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). To date, only 12 cases have been reported in the literature. Our case is 13th in number and the first case from Pakistan.

Case presentation

We report a case of a 54-year-old man presented with acute flaccid quadriparesis and areflexia after a CABG procedure. He was subsequently diagnosed with an acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP) variant of GBS and underwent five sessions of plasmapheresis. His weakness improved and could ambulate unassisted on follow-up visits.

Conclusion

GBS is a potentially treatable condition if timely diagnosed and managed. It should be considered in every patient presenting with an acute-onset weakness after surgery.

Risk factors for the severity of Guillain-Barré syndrome and predictors of short-term prognosis of severe Guillain-Barré syndrome

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a neurological disorder characterized by paralysis. Identifying the severity, appropriate therapeutic method, and prognosis of GBS at an early stage is highly important. This study aimed to investigate the modifiable risk factors for the severity of GBS and consequent need for mechanical ventilation (MV) and to identify clinical predictive factors for poor short-term outcomes of severe GBS. 155 GBS patients who were admitted to the Affiliated Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital of Qingdao University during 2014–2020 were enrolled. Demographic, clinical, therapeutic and evolutionary data were collected and were then analyzed using univariate and multivariate regression analyses. Our analytic data demonstrated that the significant clinical predictors of severe GBS were recent history of surgery, older age, cranial nerve impairment, and elevated levels of liver enzymes (p < 0.05). Furthermore, autonomic dysfunction, lower Medical Research Council (MRC) score at nadir, and elevated levels of liver enzymes were significantly associated with MV for severe GBS (p < 0.05), and lower MRC score at nadir and autonomic dysfunction remained significant predictors of MV in severe GBS (p < 0.05). Lastly, recent history of surgery, lower MRC score at admission and at nadir, requirement for MV, and pneumonia during hospitalization were significantly associated with the short-term outcome of severe GBS and that lower MRC score at admission and need for MV were confirmed to be predictors of poor short-term prognosis (p < 0.05). Of note, this study suggested that recent history of surgery is a predictor of severity in GBS patients and is associated with the poor short-term prognosis of severe GBS.

Surgery and Guillain-Barré Syndrome: A Single-Center Retrospective Study Focused on Clinical and Electrophysiological Subtypes

BACKGROUND

Surgery-related Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is often underestimated and sometimes difficult to diagnose. This study aimed to elucidate the clinical features and electrophysiological subtypes of post-surgical GBS.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed 17 patients who developed post-surgical GBS after a recent surgery between 2015 and 2019. Clinical characteristics, electrophysiological examinations, lumbar puncture results and prognosis were assessed. As controls, we selected 66 patients hospitalized with non-surgical GBS.

RESULTS

The median duration from the surgery to the onset of GBS symptoms was 16.0 days. The main types of surgeries preceding GBS were orthopedic, gastrointestinal and neurosurgery. Symmetrical distal limbs weakness was present in all 17 post-surgical GBS patients. The incidence of respiratory failure, autonomic dysfunction and muscle atrophy in post-surgical GBS patients was significantly higher than that in non-surgical GBS patients. Hughes Functional Grading Scale (HFGS) scores were also higher in the post-surgical GBS group both at the time of peak disease and 6 months after discharge. Electrophysiological studies revealed significant motor amplitudes reduction with relative preserved nerve conduction velocities and distal latencies, suggesting axonal subtypes of GBS.

CONCLUSION

GBS should be considered in patients with rapidly progressive muscle weakness after surgery. Such patients often exhibit axonal subtypes of GBS with severe motor dysfunction, high risk of respiratory failure, and poor prognosis.

Infectious and noninfectious triggers in Guillain-Barré syndrome

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is the commonest cause of acquired flaccid paralysis in the world and regarded by many as the prototype for postinfectious autoimmunity. Here the authors consider both infectious and noninfectious triggers of GBS and determine where possible what immunological mechanisms may account for this association. In approximately two-thirds of cases, an infectious trigger is reported in the weeks that lead up to disease onset, indicating that the host's response to infection must play an important role in disease pathogenesis. The most frequently identified bacteria, Campylobacter jejuni, through a process known as molecular mimicry, has been shown to induce cross-reactive anti-ganglioside antibodies, which can lead to the development of axonal-type GBS in some patients. Whether this paradigm can be extended to other infectious organisms or vaccines remains an important area of research and has public health implications. GBS has also been reported rarely in patients with underlying systemic diseases and immunocompromised states and although the exact mechanism is yet to be established, increased susceptibility to known infectious triggers should be considered most likely.