[Guillain-Barré syndrome in childhood: epidemiology and clinical aspects]

From 1980 to 1988, 25 cases of S.G.B. were diagnosed in children of ages between 2 and 12 years old at the Pediatric Clinic of Catania University. No seasonal or sexual prevalence was observed and only 5 children were less than 5 years old at the beginning of the disease. The diagnosis was based on 2 principal points: 1) pain at the inferior limbs with motor, sensitive and autonomous disturbances; 2) an increase of the globulins in the cerebrospinal liquid without a quantitative variation of the cells. The disease had a medium length of duration of 20 to 30 days; only in 2 children respiratory assistance was necessary, because of an ascending paresis, which included the respiratory muscles, while in 2 other aged 11 and 12 years old the disease presented itself as being diphasic with a short intermittent intervals, which made us think of a complete remission. In one of these 2 patients, the disease manifested itself in an unusual manner, hitting initially the muscles of the upper limbs, the III cranial nerve and with marked cephalgia. The E.M.G. taken on 7 children presented itself as being frankly neuropathic.