IGOS (Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS))

Background

Despite some effective forms of treatment, outcome in patients with GBS has not improved in the last 20 years. Currently, about 10 to 20% of patients remain severely disabled and about 5% die.

One reason for this stagnation is the highly variable clinical course of GBS. Elements of disease progression and recovery in GBS are still not well understood.

GBS may consist of specific pathogenic subgroups, in which disease onset and progression is influenced by:

• Different types of previous infections
• Anti-neural antibodies and
• Genetic polymorphisms

Optimal treatment of individual patients may depend on the pathogenesis and clinical severity.

Primary objective

To identify clinical and biological elements of disease progression and recovery in GBS. This will be done by developing a detailed and standardised database of:

• Clinic features
• Treatment
• Diagnostic electrophysiology
• Collect a biobank with serum samples and DNA at specific visits

Study information

IGOS is a prospective observational international multi-centre study. It includes at least 1000 patients with GBS or different forms of GBS, including the Miller Fisher syndrome and overlap syndromes. The study has a follow-up of one year.

There is an option to collect CSF during routine diagnostic visits and to conduct an extended follow-up of two and three years. More studies may be added in the future.

The study will improve understanding of clinical features of GBS and response to treatment.

Improved knowledge will enable the prediction of clinical course and outcome in individual patients.