Diphtheritic neuropathy

A 29-year-old Haitian man had a sore throat with a marked tonsillar exudate followed by the onset of increasingly blurred vision with swallowing difficulties and, then, a diffuse acute demyelinating neuropathy. Cerebrospinal fluid showed moderate pleiocytosis and elevated protein content. Serologica...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inMuscle & nerve Vol. 18; no. 12; p. 1460
Main Authors Créange, A, Meyrignac, C, Roualdes, B, Degos, J D, Gherardi, R K
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.12.1995
Subjects
Adult
Diphtheria - complications
Diphtheria - physiopathology
Electrophysiology
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Male
Motor Neuron Disease - etiology
Motor Neuron Disease - physiopathology
Neural Conduction
Pharyngitis - complications
Polyradiculoneuropathy - physiopathology
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Summary:A 29-year-old Haitian man had a sore throat with a marked tonsillar exudate followed by the onset of increasingly blurred vision with swallowing difficulties and, then, a diffuse acute demyelinating neuropathy. Cerebrospinal fluid showed moderate pleiocytosis and elevated protein content. Serological testing for diphtheria, but not for tetanus and poliomyelitis, was markedly positive. Other tests including HIV1 and 2, HTLV1 and Lyme disease were negative. Diphtheritic neuropathy should be considered in the differential diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome in nonvaccinated patients.
ISSN:0148-639X
DOI:10.1002/mus.880181217