Pediatric Guillain-Barré Syndrome

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a leading cause of acute flaccid paralysis in children, with clinical features that differ in important ways from adult disease and directly affect diagnosis and management. In pediatric patients, early symptoms are often nonspecific, with pain, irritability, or gait refusal preceding or predominating over weakness, contributing to diagnostic delay. Although the diagnostic framework parallels that in adults, evaluation is frequently limited by challenges in examination and the need for sedation for electrodiagnostic testing or lumbar puncture. Spinal MRI with gadolinium may support the diagnosis and help exclude alternative etiologies in this setting. Treatment approaches are similar to those in adults, with intravenous immunoglobulin as first-line therapy; plasma exchange is used less often due to technical constraints, and evidence guiding optimal dosing, duration, and retreatment in children remains limited. Outcomes are generally favorable, with low mortality and high rates of recovery, though early disease severity and supportive care requirements remain key prognostic factors. Acute-onset chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy represents an important diagnostic consideration, as it may initially mimic GBS and requires longitudinal follow-up for distinction. Recognition of these pediatric-specific features-particularly atypical presentation, diagnostic limitations, and the need for ongoing reassessment-is essential for timely diagnosis, appropriate management, and accurate prognostic counseling.