Serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha in Guillain-Barre syndrome and its relation to plasma exchange
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Date
2002
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NEUROLOGIST
Abstract
BACKGROUND- To correlate the serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) concentrations before, during and following plasma exchange in patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). In this prospective study, 21 GBS patients were selected. Patients in clinical stages III to V were subjected to plasma exchange. The control group included equal numbers of age-matched patients with other neurological diseases and healthy voluntary blood donors. A sandwich ELISA method was applied to estimate serum TNFalpha concentrations in test and control groups.REVIEW SUMMARY-Twelve GBS patients had elevated serum TNFalpha levels that ranged between 74 and 182 pg/mL. All 12 GBS patients showed a steady decrease in the TNFalpha concentration following plasma exchange and also showed a positive correlation with neurological recovery.CONCLUSIONS- We conclude that serum TNFalpha concentrations are elevated in 57.1 % of GBS patients and TNFalpha level decreases following plasma exchange.
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Neurology
Citation
NEUROLOGIST. 8; 1; 47-50