[Acute polyradiculoneuropathy. Guillain-Barre syndrome].

A retrospective study of 120 cases of acute polyradiculoneuropathy hospitalized in the National Institute of Neurology, since 1974. We analysed the clinical and neurophysiological pictures, the course of the disease and the prognosis. All ages and sex were affected. The mean age of onset was 34 years. There were a predominance of male 2.5:1. Weakness, particularly of the lower limbs, was the initial complaint of patients. A rise in the level of cerebro-spinal fluid protein in the absence of pleiocytosis was found in 80% of patients. Electrophysiological data showed most frequent sensory motor demyelinating polyradiculo-neuropathies (60%). Conduction blocks were found in 90% of cases. The last 6 years, gammaglobulin (0.4g/kg per day for 5 days) was given for the first days of the disease and has been shown to improve the vital and functional prognosis.