[Recurrence of Guillain-Barré syndrome]

Fifteen of the 238 patients (6.3%) who recovered from an initial episode of Guillain-Barré syndrome had one or several acute relapses. Usually, there was only one relapse. The durations of the plateau and recovery phases of the relapses were longer than those of the initial episodes. The protein level in the cerebrospinal fluid was higher during relapses (1.37 +/- 1.30 milligrams) than during the initial episode (0.87 +/- 0.44 milligrams). The intensity of the symptoms during relapses was comparable to that of the initial episodes, but the occurrence of these relapses aggravated functional sequelae. Comparison of relapsing patients with those who experienced monophasic Guillain-Barré syndromes and were treated in the same unit revealed no element predictive of relapses.