Association between papilledema and guillian-barré syndrome

Guillain barre syndrome is monophasic acute polyradiculoneuropathy autoimmune in nature, it appears as rapid developing areflexia and motor weakness with or without sensory and autonomic disorder, it reaches nadir in less than 4 weeks. Papilledema is rare and usually asymptomatic finding in patient with GBS, the CSF protein is usually elevated in GBS with papilledema, and high protein level will cause a disorder in the appropriate absorption of CSF at the arachnoid villi.

To determine the percent of papilledema in GBS, the causes of papilledema in GBS, the correlation of papilledema to different clinical presentations of GBS.

A cross sectional study was made on seventy patients who have GBS during 4 weeks hospitalization, males are thirty seven and females are thirty three, that admitted to neurological ward and Respiratory Care Unit in Baghdad Teaching Hospital between 1^st January-2017 to 1^st January-2018. All patients were newly diagnosed by consultant neurologist and selected according to criteria by Asbury and Cornblath 1990 and meet with Brighton Collaboration Diagnostic Criteria Level 1and 2. Regarding patients who have papilledema diagnosed by consultant neurologist by fundoscopic examination and supported by consultant ophthalmologist by slit lamp examination.

There is a correlation between GBS and papilledema, in this study 3 patients had papilledema, the percent of papilledema in GBS was (4.29%) and the cause appears to be high CSF protein.

Regarding the patients who had elevated CSF protein, there is significant association between the presence of papilledema and need for mechanical ventilation. There is more correlation between AIDP and papilledema as compared with (AMAN, AMSAN).