Immunoadsorption therapy for a child with Guillain-Barre syndrome subsequent to Mycoplasma infection: a case study

We report an 11-year-old boy with apparently the motor axonal form of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) who presented with severe paralysis and respiratory insufficiency by the 3rd day from onsets of symptoms. His serum anti-Mycoplasma pneumoniae and anti-Galactocerebroside (Gal-C) IgM antibody were significantly elevated. Magnetic resonance imaging, following contrast injection, showed enhancement of the cauda equina. The patient responded quickly and dramatically to immunoadsorption therapy using a tryptophan-immobilized column, with recovery of respiratory failure and muscle strength, dominantly in the left extremities. Immunoadsorption therapy should be considered for patients with anti Gal-C antibody-associated GBS.