Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry logoLink to Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry
. 1988 May;51(5):613–618. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.51.5.613

A prospective study of acute idiopathic neuropathy. II. Antecedent events.

J B Winer 1, R A Hughes 1, M J Anderson 1, D M Jones 1, H Kangro 1, R P Watkins 1
PMCID: PMC1033063  PMID: 3404161

Abstract

The incidence of antecedent events and serological evidence of preceding infection were studied in 100 patients with acute idiopathic neuropathy and age and sex matched control subjects in South-East England. Symptoms of respiratory infections occurred within one month before onset of neuropathic symptoms in 38% of patients and 12% of controls (p less than 0.001) and symptoms of gastrointestinal infections in 17% of patients and 3% of controls (p less than 0.005). Immunisations, insect bites and animal contact were equally common in the patient and control subjects. Eight per cent of patients had undergone an operation within the preceding 3 months. Six per cent of patients had co-existing "autoimmune" diseases. Serological evidence of recent infection was identified in 31% of patients. Campylobacter jejuni (14%) and cytomegalovirus (11%) were both significantly more frequently demonstrated in patients than controls. Serological evidence of recent infection with mycoplasma (1%), Epstein Barr virus (1-2%) and parvovirus B19 (4%) was also identified in the patients but not more frequently than in the controls. Possible explanations for the association of these agents with acute idiopathic neuropathy include possession of antigens shared with myelin and inhibition of suppressor mechanisms.

Full text

PDF
613

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BRADSTREET C. M., TAYLOR C. E. Technique of complementfixation test applicable to the diagnosis of virus diseases. Mon Bull Minist Health Public Health Lab Serv. 1962 May;21:96–104. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bachman D. S., Paulson G. W., Mendell J. R. Acute inflammatory polyradiculoneuropathy following Hymenoptera stings. JAMA. 1982 Mar 12;247(10):1443–1445. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Breman J. G., Hayner N. S. Guillain-Barré syndrome and its relationship to swine influenza vaccination in Michigan, 1976-1977. Am J Epidemiol. 1984 Jun;119(6):880–889. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a113810. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. CAMPBELL A. M. The aetiology of polyneuritis. Proc R Soc Med. 1958 Mar;51(3):157–159. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dowling P. C., Cook S. D. Role of infection in Guillain-Barré syndrome: laboratory confirmation of herpesviruses in 41 cases. Ann Neurol. 1981;9 (Suppl):44–55. doi: 10.1002/ana.410090709. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Fujinami R. S., Oldstone M. B. Amino acid homology between the encephalitogenic site of myelin basic protein and virus: mechanism for autoimmunity. Science. 1985 Nov 29;230(4729):1043–1045. doi: 10.1126/science.2414848. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Grose C., Henle W., Henle G., Feorino P. M. Primary Epstein-Barr-virus infections in acute neurologic diseases. N Engl J Med. 1975 Feb 20;292(8):392–395. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197502202920804. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hughes R. A., Newsom-Davis J. M., Perkin G. D., Pierce J. M. Controlled trial prednisolone in acute polyneuropathy. Lancet. 1978 Oct 7;2(8093):750–753. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(78)92644-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Jahnke U., Fischer E. H., Alvord E. C., Jr Sequence homology between certain viral proteins and proteins related to encephalomyelitis and neuritis. Science. 1985 Jul 19;229(4710):282–284. doi: 10.1126/science.2409602. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Jones D. M., Eldridge J., Dale B. Serological response to Campylobacter jejuni/coli infection. J Clin Pathol. 1980 Aug;33(8):767–769. doi: 10.1136/jcp.33.8.767. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kaldor J., Speed B. R. Guillain-Barré syndrome and Campylobacter jejuni: a serological study. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1984 Jun 23;288(6434):1867–1870. doi: 10.1136/bmj.288.6434.1867. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kangro H. O. Evaluation of a radioimmunoassay for IgM-class antibodies against cytomegalovirus. Br J Exp Pathol. 1980 Oct;61(5):512–520. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Kaslow R. A., Sullivan-Bolyai J. Z., Holman R. C., Hafkin B., Dicker R. C., Schonberger L. B. Risk factors for Guillain-Barré syndrome. Neurology. 1987 Apr;37(4):685–688. doi: 10.1212/wnl.37.4.685. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Kennedy R. H., Danielson M. A., Mulder D. W., Kurland L. T. Guillain-Barré syndrome: a 42-year epidemiologic and clinical study. Mayo Clin Proc. 1978 Feb;53(2):93–99. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. MELNICK S. C., FLEWETT T. H. ROLE OF INFECTION IN THE GUILLAIN-BARR'E SYNDROME. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1964 Oct;27:395–407. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.27.5.395. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Miettinen O. S. Estimation of relative risk from individually matched series. Biometrics. 1970 Mar;26(1):75–86. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Noble W. C. The new hospital epidemiology. J Hyg (Lond) 1983 Aug;91(1):1–5. doi: 10.1017/s0022172400059969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. PRICE I. N. O. Complement-fixation technique. III. The Wassermann reaction. Br J Vener Dis. 1950 Dec;26(4):172–173. doi: 10.1136/sti.26.4.172. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Pryor W. M., Freiman J. S., Gillies M. A., Tuck R. R. Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with Campylobacter infection. Aust N Z J Med. 1984 Oct;14(5):687–688. doi: 10.1111/j.1445-5994.1984.tb05033.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Winer J. B., Hughes R. A., Osmond C. A prospective study of acute idiopathic neuropathy. I. Clinical features and their prognostic value. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1988 May;51(5):605–612. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.51.5.605. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES