GUILLAIN BARRE SYNDROME (GBS)-VARIANTS

SUMMARY

DEMYELINATING FORM
1. Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (AIDP): classic demyelinating GBS. Presents as an ascending paralysis of muscles, including respiratory muscles, with areflexia.

AXONAL FORMS
2. Acute Motor Axonal Neuropathy (AMAN): motor only with early & severe respiratory involvement. Primary axonal degeneration; often affects children & young adults. assoc. with Campylobacter infection.

3. Acute Motor Sensory Axonal Neuropathy (AMSAN): motor & sensory involvement with severe course of respiratory & bulbar involvement. Primary axonal degeneration with poorer prognosis.

4. Miller Fisher Axonal Variant (MFV; 5% of cases): a type of GBS that includes only areflexia, ataxia, and ophthalmoplegia (patients unable to move their eyes or walk upright). assoc. with Campylobacter infection.

RARE FORM
5. Acute Pandysautonomic Neuropathy: most rare form with widespread sympathetic & parasympathetic failure; may be accompanied by encephalopathy.

Reference(s)

Wilkinson, I., Furmedge, D. and Sinharay, R. (2017). Oxford handbook of clinical medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Get it on Amazon.
Feather, A., Randall, D. and Waterhouse, M. (2020). Kumar And Clark’s Clinical Medicine. 10th ed. S.L.: Elsevier Health Sciences. Get it on Amazon.
Hannaman, R. A., Bullock, L., Hatchell, C. A., & Yoffe, M. (2016). Internal medicine review core curriculum, 2017-2018. CO Springs, CO: MedStudy.
Therapeutic Guidelines. Melbourne: Therapeutic Guidelines Limited. https://www.tg.org.au [Accessed 2021].