[On a case of Guillain - Barre's polyradiculoneuritis with arterial hypertension (author's transl)].

A twenty year old man affected by Guillain-Barré's radiculopolyneuritis with tetraparesis had high protein and only few cells in the C.S.F., with no cranial nerve involvement or respiratory difficulty. He had high arterial pressure (both diastolic and systolic) for about three months accompanied by episodes of tachycardia and hyperhydrosis. Investigations of renal functionas well as catecholamine and vanil-mandelic acid urinary excretion were normal. Tilting test and carotid sinus reflex were normal. The patient recovered almost completely eight months after the onset of his illness. The presence of arterial hypertension in the Guillain-Barré's syndrome has been rarely reported with no respiratory involvement; however this condition may be less rare than suspected. The pathogenesis of this complication is not easy to explain. According to the authors this condition may be due, in cases, to impairment of the sympathetic system mostly at peripheral level. In some cases of Guillain-Barré's syndrome renal involvement of immunopathological origin might be the cause of hypertension. The authors emphasize the importance of a correct evaluation of symptoms in the prognosis and in the choice of therapy.