Occurrence of fatigue over 20 years after recovery from Guillain-Barré syndrome

Introduction: Reports regarding outcome of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) are usually limited to relatively short follow-up. We assessed the occurrence of fatigue and correlated it to clinical measures in patients who had suffered from GBS over 20 years previously. Methods: We contacted 24 patients with GBS requiring in-hospital rehabilitation during the years 1970-1987. Disability was established at rehabilitation admission using the Hughes scale (HS). Disability and fatigue were assessed at time of this study by the Overall Disability Sum Score (ODSS) and the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). Results: Mean HS at admission was 2.5 ± 0.7, and at follow-up 1.1 ± 1.3. Mean ODSS was 2.8 ± 3.6, FSS was 4.4 ± 2. Ten patients reported severe fatigue (> 5). Very good correlations were found between FSS and HS at admission and follow-up and between FSS and ODSS. FSS was not influenced by patients' age, age at disease onset, gender or time from GBS to the study. Conclusion: Fatigue can persist after apparent recovery from GBS and remain severe for many years.