Effectiveness of Rehabilitation in Patients with Guillain-Barre Syndrome: a Systematic Review of the Literature

Abstract

Background. Guillain-Barre syndrome is an immune-mediated polyradiculoneuropathy characterized by acute neurological symptoms, usually following an infectious disease. The discovery of links between coronavirus infection and GBS has made the analysis even more relevant.

The aim. To evaluate the efficacy of rehabilitation for patients with GuillainBarre syndrome (GBS).

Methods. A systematic literature review was performed according to PRISMA statement. A literature search had begun on January 10, 2022, and ended on May 1, 2022. The search was performed in Pubmed, ScienceDirect, and ClinicalKey databases. Inclusion criteria were research articles published less than five years ago, written in English, evaluating the efficacy of rehabilitation for patients with GBS.

Results. The research strategy identified 606 results. After excluding duplicates (n = 230), and after a thorough assessment, six studies were included. Every study showed positive effects of rehabilitation in patients with GBS. Two studies used GBS – Disability Score to evaluate rehabilitation efficacy, which had positive results (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.01). Another study found that supervised, individualized exercise was more efficient than unsupervised home exercise. There was also a study with groups of children with GBS, who had electromyographic biofeedback therapy, that showed positive dynamics (p < 0.05). Another study assessed neuropathic pain and presented a reduction in pain after rehabilitation (p < 0.05).

Conclusion. Patients with GBS have achieved significant positive changes in mobility, cognitive function, and performance of daily tasks after rehabilitation treatment.

Keywords: Guillain-Barre syndrome, rehabilitation, electrical stimulation, physical therapy, exercise.