Guillain-Barre syndrome and IVIg: Does early initiation of treatment influence the mean hospital stay?

Introduction. Treatment with intravenous immunoglobin (IVIg) in the first two weeks of hospitalization has proven efficiency for shortening recovery time of patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). The goal of the study is to determine if early treatment with IVIg in the first days after onset of symptoms has a significant effect on shortening average length of hospital stay. Methods. We examined retrospectively the records of 69 patients with GBS. Group A (9 patients) received no treatment with IVIg, Group B (31 patients) received treatment on the sixth day or thereafter and Group C (29 patients) received treatment in the first five days from symptoms onset. Results. Mean duration of hospitalisation time for Group A was 47.4 days, for Group B it was 32.4 days and for Group C, 21.3 days (p < 0.001). In summary, treatment with IVIg in the first five days after the onset of GBS symptoms reduces the length of hospitalisation by 11 days. Given the retrospective nature of our study, these findings should be confirmed in a prospective, randomised, multicentric study.