PMID- 15175771
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20040917
LR  - 20200825
IS  - 0304-4602 (Print)
IS  - 0304-4602 (Linking)
VI  - 33
IP  - 3
DP  - 2004 May
TI  - Characteristics and acute rehabilitation of Guillain-Barre syndrome in Singapore.
PG  - 314-9
AB  - INTRODUCTION: The objectives of this study are to describe the demographics, 
      clinical characteristics, complications and functional outcomes in patients with 
      Guillain-Barr e syndrome (GBS) or the Miller-Fisher syndrome (MFS) variant 
      admitted to our institution. We also aim to identify prognostic outcome 
      indicators. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of the case records of 
      all patients discharged from our hospital with a diagnosis of GBS or MFS over a 
      2- year period was performed. The clinical characteristics charted included the 
      time of symptom onset to nadir. The Modified Barthel Index (MBI) and Expanded 
      Grading Scale (EGS) for GBS were the functional outcome measures used. RESULTS: 
      Thirty-one cases were reviewed and 8 (25.8 %) had the MFS variant. Twenty-two (71 
      %) patients were male, with a mean age of 42.3 years. Weakness and numbness (74 
      %) were the most common initial symptoms; 9 (29 %) patients were paraparetic and 
      7 (22.6 %) were tetraparetic. Ten (32.3 %) patients had respiratory involvement 
      and 8 (25.8 %) had urinary retention. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) was 
      prescribed in 13 (41.9 %) patients. The mean duration to disease nadir was 8.1 
      days. The mean MBI scores at nadir and discharge were 54.7 and 77.3, 
      respectively, and this gain was highly significant (P <0.01). The majority (84 %) 
      of patients were employed at admission and although most returned to work, 63 % 
      (17/27) of the patients had residual symptoms or signs 3 months after discharge. 
      CONCLUSION: The clinical characteristics and complication frequency closely 
      follows that previously described in Western populations, although our cohort was 
      younger and had a higher proportion of the MFS variant. Predictors of a poorer 
      functional outcome include a high EGS score at nadir, tetraparesis, respiratory 
      involvement, urinary retention and the need for nasogastric enteral feeding. 
      Patients who had MFS or received IVIG had greater functional gains. Good 
      functional outcomes occurred in a large majority of patients.
FAU - Ng, Y S
AU  - Ng YS
AD  - Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore. 
      ng.yee.sien@singhealth.com.sg
FAU - Lo, Y L
AU  - Lo YL
FAU - Lim, P A C
AU  - Lim PA
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - Singapore
TA  - Ann Acad Med Singap
JT  - Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore
JID - 7503289
SB  - IM
MH  - Adult
MH  - Aged
MH  - Aged, 80 and over
MH  - Female
MH  - Guillain-Barre Syndrome/complications/*diagnosis/therapy
MH  - Humans
MH  - Male
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - Prognosis
MH  - Retrospective Studies
MH  - Severity of Illness Index
EDAT- 2004/06/04 05:00
MHDA- 2004/09/21 05:00
CRDT- 2004/06/04 05:00
PHST- 2004/06/04 05:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2004/09/21 05:00 [medline]
PHST- 2004/06/04 05:00 [entrez]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Ann Acad Med Singap. 2004 May;33(3):314-9.