Observational study of functional gains in patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome

Abstract

Guillain-Barre Syndrome is a disease of low incidence but with sudden onset and disturbing in its acute phase. Even though it is a disease of spontaneous remission, therapies for motor functional recovery have been prescribed by physicians since its onset. Rehabilitation seeks to make the patient independent in his daily life activities-this is the initial goal of the multidisciplinary team, and to regain the gait is always the greatest desire of the patient and his family. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of rehabilitation in the form of hospitalization, in which the patient receives a large quantity of stimuli during a period of stabilization of the clinical presentation. Method: 27 patients diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome were evaluated while being treated at the Hospital de Reabilitação e Readaptação Dr. Henrique Santillo, in the period between July 2008 and July 2013. Results: Twenty-seven patients were analyzed with a mean age of 39.4 years, who were admitted for rehabilitation after 47.8 days of clinical presentation and remained hospitalized an average of 43.8 days. Comparing gait recovery in relation to age, no differences in gain were observed among young people or adults. As for the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) the average on admission was 75.2, which increased to 109.1 at discharge. One of the main factors that contributed to this increase in the FIM value was that, in the gait factor, 11 patients were able to ambulate at admission and at discharge that number had risen to 23 (p < 0.001). Conclusion: In this study, a significant relationship was found in gait between admission and discharge, evidenced by a significant increase in the values of FIM during this period. We found no relationship of improvement between the use of immunoglobulin and improved motor skills.