Brain death-like changes: A case report of anti-GQ1b antibody syndrome

Anti-GQ1b antibody syndrome originates in the peripheral nervous system or the central nervous system. Various overlapping syndromes and atypical manifestations are also seen in clinic. It is rare to see multiple sites (almost all targets) of central and peripheral damage at the same time, resulting in brain death-like changes in patient.

This is a 55-year-old female patient, with a history of prodromal upper respiratory tract infection, began with headache, quickly developed body paralysis, eye paralysis, disturbance of consciousness, apnea, and tested positive for anti-GQ1b antibody. The patient is diagnosed clearly, the disease progresses rapidly, and almost all GQ1b sites in the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system are involved, which is rare.

Anti-GQ1b antibody syndrome.

The patient was treated with tracheal intubation, ventilator assisted breathing, and immunoglobulin. The patient recovered quickly and was discharged after about 30 days in hospital.

The concept of anti-GQ1b antibody syndrome is not only beneficial for clinical diagnosis, but also beneficial for understanding the continuous disease spectrum with the same etiology and different clinical manifestations. The pathogenesis of each subtype has not been fully defined. There are mild patients with isolated syndromes and severe patients with multiple subtypes overlapping. Encounter severe patients but also active response, the general prognosis is good.