Cytoalbuminologic dissociation in Asian patients with Guillain‐Barré and Miller Fisher syndromes

Cerebrospinal fluid ( CSF ) protein level, cell count, and its relationship to the timing of lumbar puncture were collected from patients with Guillain‐Barré syndrome ( GBS ) and Miller Fisher syndrome ( MFS ) from various Asian centers. A total of 507 patients with GBS were studied. Overall, 56% had elevated CSF protein level. This was significantly lower than that reported in a recent Dutch study (56% vs 64%). Cytoalbuminologic dissociation was also lower in the Asian cohort (55% vs 64%), with a significantly higher proportion of patients with mild pleocytosis (26% vs 15%). A lower proportion of the 164 patients with MFS had elevated CSF protein level (38% vs 56%), mild pleocytosis (11% vs 26%), and cytoalbuminologic dissociation (41% vs 55%) compared to patients with GBS . In both conditions, cytoalbuminologic dissociation was linked to the timing of lumbar puncture. Cytoalbuminologic dissociation was only observed in half of the Asian patients with GBS and MFS , and it is strongly dependent on the timing of the lumbar puncture.