[A case with hepatitis A-associated Guillain-Barre syndrome and elevated serum anti-sulfatide antibody]

Abstract

A 59-year-old man developed progressive sensory dullness and muscle weakness in the extremities, facial palsy on the left side, and hoarseness 4 days after the onset of acute hepatitis A. Vibration and joint sensation in the extremities were severely affected. Anti-sulfatide IgM antibody level was initially elevated in serum, but diminished along with amelioration of the symptoms following intravenous immunoglobulin therapy. Anti-sulfatide antibody may be involved in the pathogenesis of the present patient with hepatitis A-associated Guillain-Barré syndrome. This is probably the first case of hepatitis A associated Guillain-Barré syndrome with which elevated serum anti-sulfatide antibody was found.