Guillain-Barré syndrome accompanied by central nervous system lupus in a patient with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid Vasculitis Complicated With Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy in an Older Female: A Case Report

Rheumatoid vasculitis (RV) causes various complications in the heart, lungs, kidneys, and nerves that require intensive treatment. Rapid RV-related peripheral nerve involvement progression is critical and requires prompt treatment. We report the case of a 73-year-old female with RV, with a chief complaint of difficulty walking without any infectious symptoms for several months. We diagnosed Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) accompanied by RV and treated the patient with intravenous immunoglobulin and cyclophosphamide. Previous impairments of activities of daily living (ADLs) were resolved. Diagnosing the neurological manifestations of RV and GBS in older patients with an active RV is challenging because of the various patterns of the progression. For effective management, considering both diseases and implementing immunosuppressive and modulatory treatments is critical to stop the progression of neurological symptoms and prevent the deterioration of ADLs.

Autoimmunity in Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with Zika virus infection and beyond

Autoimmune diseases share common immunopathogenic mechanisms (i.e., the autoimmune tautology), which explain the clinical similarities among them as well as their familial clustering. Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), an autoimmune peripheral neuropathy, has been recently associated with Zika virus (ZIKV) infection. Based on a series of cases, this review article provides a comparative analysis of GBS associated with ZIKV infection, contrasted with the general characteristics of GBS in light of the autoimmune tautology, including gender differences in prevalence, subphenotypes, polyautoimmunity, familial autoimmunity, age at onset, pathophysiology, ecology, genetics, ancestry, and treatment.