Health officials convinced the Chinese to rename the bulk of their polio to Guillaine
Barre Syndrome (GBS). A study found that the new disorder (Chinese Paralytic syndrome) and
the GBS was really polio (41). After mass vaccination in 1971, reports of polio went down
but GBS increased about 10 fold.(Ref: Vaccination by Greg Beattie)
- Tang
XF, et al. Guillain-Barre syndrome or "new" Chinese
paralytic syndrome in northern China? Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol. 1996
Apr;101(2):105-9. PMID: 8647015; UI: 96245462.
- A serial study of clinical and magnetic stimulation motor evoked potentials (MEP) was
accomplished in 44 patients with the acute flaccid paralytic syndrome which occurred in
Northern China in 1991. Control data were provided by 70 healthy subjects from the same
area. The cases came from the same area where a so-called new "Chinese paralytic
syndrome" had been reported. We found the clinical features of these 44 patients to
be similar to those of classical Guillain-Barre. Prolongation of MEP latency at 2 sites or
on 2 occasions was found in 36 patients of whom 26 showed obvious clinical and
electrophysiological recovery within 4-8 weeks. Three cases showed reduced MEP amplitude
with normal latency, but in 2 of them the amplitude recovered in 2-8 weeks. Only 2 cases
had no response at all time. We think 41 patients (93.7%) had predominant nerve
demyelination. The 3 other patients (6.8%) showed axonal degeneration which is within the
range found in previous reports of classical Guillain-Barre. We conclude that the acute
paralytic syndrome seen in the summer of 1991 in Northern China represents a classical
Guillain-Barre syndrome with demyelination of motor and sensory fibers. There is no reason
to consider any special nomenclature such as "Chinese paralytic syndrome" or
"acute motor axonal neuropathy
- Zhang
X, et al. Guillain-Barre syndrome in six cities and provinces
of northern China: is it a new entity? Chin Med J (Engl). 1995 Oct;108(10):734-8. Review.
PMID: 8565657; UI: 96147668
- Forty cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome were reported, (GBS) which came from the regions
where "Chinese Paralytic Syndrome" and "Acute Motor Axonal Neuropathy
(AMAN)" were presented before. A study on their clinical, electrophysiological and
pathological features was conducted, records on 3,733 GBS cases reported in northern China
from 1978 to 1992 were reviewed and compared with cases of "acute moter axonal
nouropathy". The results showed that the clinical, electrophysiological and
pathological features of GBS in north China are similar to those of typical GBS cases in
western countries, though there seemed to be some special epidemiological features in age,
seasonal and regional distribution. It was concluded that the GBS in northern China is
demyelinating GBS dominantly, not a new entity.
- Zhang
Z, et al. [Risk factors for Guillain-Barre syndrome in northern China: a
case-control study]. Chung Kuo I Hsueh Ko Hsueh Yuan Hsueh Pao. 1995 Aug;17(4):291-5.
Chinese. PMID: 8575052; UI: 96147928.
We conducted a case-control study in northern China to estimate possible risk factors
for Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). Forty patients were consecutively seen at the PUMC
hospital and the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical College between July and September 1991.
The diagnosis was established following the NINCDS criteria for GBS. Among 36 patients
with measurements of motor evoked potentials, 34 had evidences of demyelination. Eighty
controls chosen from spouses or siblings, and neighbors or work/school mates, were matched
by sex and age (+/- 3 years). Using the Mantel-Haenszel estimate of the odds ratio, cold
rain, overloaded activities, a history of diarrhea, common cold, and exposure to
organophosphorus one month before onset, significantly increased, at least six-fold, the
risk for development of GBS. Cases and controls did not differ in the number of previous
vaccinations. We suggest that a single antigent is less likely of etiological importance
in GBS.