Guillain‐Barré syndrome and Hodgkin's disease: Three cases with immunological studies

Abstract

Abstract A cell‐mediated autoimmune reaction to peripheral nervous system (PNS) antigens is widely held to be important in the pathogenesis of Guillain‐Barré syndrome (GBS). We report GBS in 3 patients with Hodgkin's disease in whom we were able to demonstrate partial immunosuppression using in vivo and in vitro methods. Because GBS has been associated with other conditions in which degrees of immunosuppression may ocur (organ transplantation, viral syndromes, systemic lupus erythematosus, postoperative states, and pregnancy), we suggest that under certain circumstances, partial and perhaps transient immunosuppression could serve as one contributing factor in triggering an autoimmune disease of the PNS.