Ataxic variant of Guillain Barre syndrome: a case report

  • Haris Majid Rajput Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad
  • Malik Muhammad Adil Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad
  • Maryam Khalil Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad
  • Nayab Aslam Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad
  • Zaid Waqar Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad
Keywords: GBS, ataxic, variant

Abstract

A 17-year-old girl was admitted after acute onset of unsteady gait succeeding acute gastroenteritis. Neurological examination reported normal power in all four limbs, impaired finger-nose, heel-shin tests, areflexia and ataxic gait. We eliminated other diseases with cerebellar symptoms; for example, Wernicke encephalopathy, multiple sclerosis, cerebellar vascular disease , encephalitis in the brain stem and cerebellum. Blood serum collected from the patient during the acute phase showed no anti-ganglioside antibodies. As the patient presented with evident cerebellar ataxia without muscle weakness, ophthalmoplegia or proprioceptive sensory disruption a diagnosis of ataxic form of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) after nerve conduction studies. Though ataxic GBS is not a settled impression, we should have to give heed to the potential existence of such a scarce GBS variant.
Published
2023-12-24