Cerebrospinal fluid neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and S-100b protein in Guillain-Barré syndrome--their relations to prognosis]

We measured the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and S-100b protein (S-100b) using enzyme immunoassay methods in 12 patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), and 46 control subjects, and evaluated their clinical values in relation to prognosis. The 4 patients with the remarkably elevated level of NSE or S-100b in the acute stage recovered slowly over 1 year after onset, while the 2 patients showed the normal NSE and S-100b levels and recovered within 4 months. In 6 patients, the NSE and/or S-100b were slightly or moderately increased in the acute stage. They recovered from 1.5 to 11 months after onset, and the two patients showing very early recovery have the remarkably increase of S-100b in the recovery stage. These results suggest that CSF NSE and S-100b may be useful biochemical markers for estimation of prognosis in GBS patients.