Norepinephrine-induced hypertension in Guillain Barré syndrome

Systemic haemodynamics, plasma catecholamine levels and diurnal variation of arterial pressure were studied in a 20-year-old patient with hypertension during Guillain Barré syndrome after complete resolution of the illness. Transient arterial hypertension during the course of Guillain Barré syndrome is characterized by an increased total peripheral resistance associated with elevated circulating norepinephrine levels, suggesting an over-activity of the sympathetic nervous system as the underlying mechanism of the elevated blood pressure.