Guillain-Barre syndrome in patient with Burkitt's lymphoma and type 2 diabetes mellitus

Although peripheral neuropathies are commonly observed in patients with non-Hodgkin's malignant lymphomas (NHML), Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) belongs to the occasional complications of lymphoproliferative disorders. It appears in less than 0.3 per cent of NHML. It is worthy of note that in the reported case there occurred three independent risk factors of peripheral neuropathy: Burkitt's lymphoma, chemotherapy and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Based on clinical course, EMG finding and neuropathological examination, in spite of normal cerebrospinal fluid protein content, GBS as a paraneoplastic disorder was diagnosed. It was assumed that chemotherapy and diabetes mellitus conduced to severe neuropathy.