Anti-GQ1b IgG antibody activities related to the severity of Miller Fisher syndrome

Abstract

The correlation between the activities of anti-GQ1b IgG antibodies in sera of patients with Miller Fisher syndrome and their clinical manifestations was investigated. The clinical severity was analyzed for 16 patients by scoring their symptoms during the peak of the clinical course and 4 weeks after onset. Serum samples were obtained from all the patients within the first 2 weeks of onset and from 12 of them 4 weeks after onset. Samples were immunostained by TLC after which antibody activities were measured by the ELISA. Anti-GQ1b IgG antibody activities reflect the severity of the patients' symptoms, especially ophthalmoplegia. Lessening of symptoms, expressed by the difference in MFS severity scores of the two tests, occurred with the marked decrease in antibodies. Results of cerebrospinal fluid and nerve conduction studies, performed during the first 2 weeks, showed no fluctuation with changes in the clinical symptoms or antibody activities.