Guillain-Barré syndrome and serum activities of gamma-glutamyltransferase and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase.

Objective laboratory indicators of alcohol consumption (mean corpuscular volume and serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT), glutamyltransferase (gamma-GT), and glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT] were measured in 18 patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and 710 control patients. All of the indicators examined were more frequently found to be pathological in GBS patients, reaching significance for gamma-GT and GPT. Some explanations for this result are discussed. It is concluded that alcohol consumption may be a risk factor for GBS.