An Atypical Presentation of Antibody Negative Axonal Guillain Barré Syndrome

Abstract

Guillain Barré Syndrome (GBS) is an antibody mediated peripheral nerve disorder that commonly presents after infection, usually campylobacter jejuni.8 Guillain Barré can be broken down into two different forms: axonal and demyelinating. The demyelinating form is termed acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. The axonal form can further be categorized into acute motor neuropathy and acute motor and sensory neuropathy. In typical cases of GBS, patients present with acute, progressive, symmetrical, ascending flaccid paralysis reaching peak severity within 5-9 days of symptom onset. All forms of GBS are diagnosed clinically. Patients who present with the progression of symptoms as mentioned above are thought to have GBS unless a better diagnosis is available.7 However, diagnosing GBS can become difficult when patients present with atypical symptoms. The case discussed in this article focuses on the complexity of diagnosing and treating patients who present with atypical GBS symptoms.