Relationship between parenteral gangliosides administration and the Guillain-Barré syndrome

• Published in: Revista de neurologiá Vol. 28; no. 11; p. 1033
• Main Authors: Conceição, I, Carvalho, M, Alves, M, Parreira, E, Martins, A, Ferro, J, Sales-Luis, M L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Portuguese; Spanish
• Published: Spain 01.06.1999
• Subjects: Adult; Case-Control Studies; Female; G(M1) Ganglioside - therapeutic use; Guillain-Barre Syndrome - drug therapy; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Retrospective Studies
• ISSN: 0210-0010
• DOI: 10.33588/rn.2811.97341

We carried out a case a case-control study to analyze the relationship between parenteral gangliosides administration and the Guillain-Barré syndrome. We retrieved 64 patients with the diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome, and 148 controls. In cases and controls the proportion and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of subject receiving gangliosides, was calculated. The number of patients with the Guillain-Barré syndrome who needed ventilation or died was also calculated. Four of 36 patients (95% CI = 81-0.6), over 40 years, received gangliosides prior to Guillain-Barré syndrome. One of these patients was ventilated (95% CI = 25-2) and died. None of the controls less than 40 years old took gangliosides, while from the 108 over 40 (95% CI = 15-4) 9 received gangliosides. None developed signs suggesting Guillain-Barré syndrome. Although gangliosides were more often used in Guillain-Barré syndrome (OR = 1.75), the difference was not significant (95% CI = 4.82-0.69). The present work proves that in spite of the association of Guillain-Barré syndrome, with gangliosides intake, there is no statistical difference between this group of patients and control population.