Oculopharyngeal Palsy in Patients with Coexistence of Anti-GQ1b and GT1a Antibodies

ABSTRACT

The presence of antiganglioside antibodies is closely associated with the clinical characteristics of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), as evidenced by the presence of anti-GQ1b antibody in Miller-Fisher syndrome and anti-GT1a antibody in a pharyngeal-cervical-brachial variant of GBS. We report herein three patients harboring both anti-GT1a and anti-GQ1b antibodies who all exhibited oculopharyngeal palsy and additional features of ataxia, facial palsy, internal ophthalmoplegia, and visual disturbance. The findings of this study suggest that oculopharyngeal palsy is a common clinical manifestation determined by the coexistence of anti-GQ1b and GT1a antibodies.