New England Journal of Medicine
June 14, 2012  Vol. 366 No. 24
http://content.nejm.org/current.shtml

Review Article
Guillain–Barré Syndrome
Nobuhiro Yuki, M.D., Ph.D., and Hans-Peter Hartung, M.D.

Extract
The Guillain–Barré syndrome, which is characterized by acute areflexic paralysis with albuminocytologic dissociation (i.e., high levels of protein in the cerebrospinal fluid and normal cell counts), was described in 1916.1 Since poliomyelitis has nearly been eliminated, the Guillain–Barré syndrome is currently the most frequent cause of acute flaccid paralysis worldwide and constitutes one of the serious emergencies in neurology. A common misconception is that the Guillain–Barré syndrome has a good prognosis — but up to 20% of patients remain severely disabled and approximately 5% die, despite immunotherapy.2 The Miller Fisher syndrome, which is characterized by ophthalmoplegia, ataxia, and areflexia, was . .