Early relapse of acute inflammatory polyradiculoneuropathy after successful treatment with plasma exchange.

Symptoms reappeared within 2-4 weeks in 6 of 23 patients with acute Guillain-Barré syndrome who had demonstrated significant clinical improvement following plasma exchange therapy; all however improved to full recovery after a second series of plasma exchanges. The procedure appears to be associated with increased risk of early relapse. Our observations suggest that a relationship may exist between rapid removal of large amounts of plasma and the possibility of relapse.