EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A TWO YEAR REHABILITATION OF A PATIENT WITH GUILLAIN-BARRE SYNDROME: A CASE REPORT

Abstract

Aim: To present a clinical case of multiple multidiscipli­nary rehabilitation courses after a total of three episodes of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). Case report: A 72-year-old female was hospitalized to Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LUHS) Hos­pital Kaunas Clinics Neurology department, complaining of lower back pain spreading to the lateral surfaces of both legs and a cold, tingling sensation in her feet that has been continuing for two months. Subacute demyelinating polyneuropathy was diagnosed. The patient suffered a total of three episodes of GBS and underwent a course of multidisciplinary rehabilitation after each of them. Despite the worsening condition during every episode of GBS, improvements were observed in the Barthel index, Functional Independence Measure, Lovett scores and dynamometry after each course of rehabilitation. Phy­siotherapy, occupational therapy, massage, transcutaneus electrical nerve stimulation, physical therapy, speech the­rapy, psychologist consultation and social worker consul­tation were applied. After the last course of rehabilitation, our patient was autonomous within the range of a ward, able to eat served food, put clothes on the upper body with minimal help, on the lower body – with moderate help. Moderate help was needed for all other activities. Conclusions: After undergoing multidisciplinary in and outpatient rehabilitation, the condition of our patient im­proved. This case highlights the importance of both early inpatient and continuous long-term rehabilitation for the achievement of the maximum functional recovery.