Guillain-Barré Syndrome and Cerebral Hemorrhage: Two Cases and Literature Review

Abstract

Aims: The study aimed to investigate the potential relationships between Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and cerebral hemorrhage. Methods: Two patients diagnosed with hemorrhagic stroke and GBS were reported. More specifically, the sequential occurrence and the corresponding mechanisms of these 2 diseases were analyzed. Results: Two patients with cerebral hemorrhagic stroke developed progressive flaccid quadriplegia and life-threatening dyspnea in acute stage. Combined with the cerebrospinal fluid and electromyogram results, they were diagnosed as having acute GBS. It was found that GBS and cerebral nervous system (CNS) hemorrhage can occur successively, but the different sequences of occurrence had completely different pathogeneses. GBS following CNS hemorrhage was found to be related to the imbalance of systemic inflammatory responses, whereas CNS hemorrhage following GBS was due to blood vessel autonomous dysfunction and the use of immunoglobulin intravenously. Both groups of patients had only good prognoses when they were intensively observed. Conclusions: Despite being rare, GBS complicated with CNS hemorrhage deserves more attention due to its notable impact.