P-wave dispersion in patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome

Cardiac autonomic dysfunction assessed by the presence of arrhythmia, by the methods, such as heart rate variability or blood pressure variability, and by the electrocardiographic abnormalities is common in Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). The goal of present study was to analyze the P-wave dispersion (PWD), which is the non-invasive marker of atrial arrhythmia, in GBS patients and to compare those with healthy individuals. Thirty-five patients with GBS (mean age 53.6 ± 15.5 years) and 35 healthy controls (mean age 49.2 ± 14.1 years) were included to this study. Demographic and clinical information of the patients with GBS were assessed retrospectively. A 12-lead surface electrocardiogram was acquired from all participants. Minimum and maximum P-wave duration and PWD were measured in the patients with GBS and healthy controls. Maximum P-wave duration and PWD were significantly longer, and minimum P-wave duration was significantly lower in the patients with GBS rather than the control group (p = 0.037, p < 0.001, p = 0.007, respectively). GBS disability scores were positively correlated with the maximum P-wave duration (p = 0.015, r = 0.406) and PWD (p = 0.001, r = 0.525). We found that PWD was significantly prolonged in GBS patients compared with the controls. The increased PWD which is cheap, quick, non-invasive and feasible electrocardiographic marker may be related to increased risk for atrial fibrillation in patients with GBS.