Guillain Barré Syndrome in the Elderly: Does Age Affect the Course?

Abstract

Objectives: Describe the characteristics of Guillain Barré Syndrome in patients older than 60 years (Latin American population). Methods: Retrospective analysis of 141 patients with diagnosis of Guillain Barré Syndrome. 43 in the elderly group (>60 years) and 98 patients in the young group (18–59 years). Clinical characteristics, electrodiagnosis, cerebrospinal fluid, treatment and prognosis (12 months of follow-up) were compared between groups. Results: A longer delay from the prodrome to the disease (median in days 14 vs 7; p=0.04). greater involvement in deep sensitivity (72.5% vs 29.6%; p=0.001) and ataxia (30.2% vs 13.2%; p=0.01) in the elderly. In the follow-up, the prognosis was similar using the Hughes scale (12 months: ederly group 0.22 vs young group 0.29; p=0.6). Conclusions: A longer delay from the prodromal event to the onset of Guillain Barré Syndrome in the elderly could be interpreted as a more insidious presentation in the context of immunosenescence. A greater compromise of deep sensitivity and ataxia must be taken into consideration for an adequate approach to rehabilitation. With our results we cannot conclude that age is an independent risk factor for worse prognosis.