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Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry logoLink to Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry
. 1997 Jun;62(6):637–640. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.62.6.637

Residual health status after Guillain-Barré syndrome.

R A Bernsen 1, H M Jacobs 1, A E de Jager 1, F G van der Meché 1
PMCID: PMC1074153  PMID: 9219755

Abstract

To study the extent to which patients experience residual problems in daily functioning several years after having Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) a survey of 123 patients who had had Guillain-Barré syndrome three to six years previously was performed, using the sickness impact profile (SIP) for measuring functional health status and a functional assessment scale (F score) for measuring physical condition. The patients were diagnosed according to the international criteria for Guillain-Barré syndrome and were at the time of diagnosis unable to walk more than 10 metres without support. The physical SIP score correlated positively with final physical recovery (Pearson's r = 0.79). The psychosocial SIP score indicated impairment in all patient groups compared with matched normal control values; they included the group with no, or mild, residual symptoms (P < 0.05). No relation was found between clinical variables related to the severity or duration of Guillain-Barré syndrome and residual psychosocial dysfunctioning, except for a relation with disturbance of sensation in the arms. In conclusion, in many patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome, psychosocial functioning is still seriously affected, even when they have physically recovered, or show only mild residual signs.

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Selected References

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

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