Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Currently, there are limited reports, both nationally and internationally, regarding Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) that manifests solely with isolated sensory impairment. This study aims to explore the epidemiological and clinical features of GBS patients experiencing only paresthesia in southern China. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the medical records of GBS patients admitted to 31 hospitals across 14 provinces in southern China from January 1, 2013, to September 30, 2016. RESULTS: A total of 1,056 patients diagnosed with GBS were identified from medical records, of whom 276 had paresthesia as their first symptom. Among these 276 patients, a total of 41 patients with GBS who exhibited only paresthesia were analyzed. Among them, 19 patients served as a control group and showed abnormal compound muscle action potential (CMAP). We identified 22 cases of pure sensory disturbances in GBS patients and named them "pure sensory GBS", characterized by normal CMAP. Comparative analysis revealed no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of age at onset, gender, residence, or antecedent events; however, the pure sensory GBS group demonstrated a higher incidence of onset during the spring. Electrophysiological evaluations revealed that the pure sensory GBS group had a lower likelihood of reduced amplitude in sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) compared to the control group. However, there were no significant differences between the two groups in sensory conduction latency, velocity, H-reflex, or F-wave detection. Additionally, no significant differences were observed in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) studies, treatment modalities, discharge Hughes scores, or peak time. Notably, patients in the pure sensory GBS group had lower Hughes scores at admission and a shorter hospital stay, with these differences reaching statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Among GBS patients, those presenting solely with sensory disturbances are relatively uncommon, with only 22 cases. Compared to the control group, those patients are more frequently diagnosed in the spring, demonstrate a milder degree of reduction in amplitude of SNAP, present with milder symptoms at admission, and have shorter hospital stays.