Isolated Hypercapneic Respiratory Failure as a presentation of GBS variant: a paraneoplastic association?

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17161/rrnmf.v6i4_2025.24416

Keywords:

Pharyngeal-cervical-brachial variant, Guillain Barrè Syndrome, cancer, paraneoplastic syndrome, respiratory failure

Abstract

Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is an acute immune-mediated polyradiculoneuropathy, with the Pharyngeal-Cervical-Brachial (PCB) variant being a rare subtype. We report a 60-year-old male presenting with isolated hypercapnic respiratory failure and pulmonary embolism, subsequently diagnosed with PCB-GBS. The patient exhibited cranial and cervical weakness with preserved lower limb strength, cerebrospinal fluid albumino-cytological dissociation, and cervical root enhancement on MRI. Treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin led to rapid recovery. Evaluation for paraneoplastic etiology revealed an oncocytic follicular thyroid neoplasm, managed with thyroidectomy. This case underscores the importance of considering PCB-GBS in unexplained respiratory failure and highlights the rare paraneoplastic association with thyroid malignancy.

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Author Biographies

  • Megha Dhamne MD, PD Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Center, Mumbai

    Consultant Neuromuscular Specialist, 

    Department of Neurology

  • Sahil Langde MD, P D Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Center, Mumbai

    PGY2 Resident, Critical care Department 

  • Farhad Kapadia MD FRCP, P D Hinduja Hospital and Medical and Research Center, Mumbai

    Consultant Physician and Intensivist, Department of Critical Care Medicine

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Published

2025-12-20

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 4 (2025)

Section

Clinic and Case Reports

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Copyright (c) 2025 Megha Dhamne MD, Sahil Langde MD, Farhad Kapadia MD FRCP

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Dhamne, M. C., Langde, S. ., & Kapadia , F. . (2025). Isolated Hypercapneic Respiratory Failure as a presentation of GBS variant: a paraneoplastic association?. RRNMF Neuromuscular Journal, 6(4). https://doi.org/10.17161/rrnmf.v6i4_2025.24416