Failure of oral versus parenteral corticosteroids in a case of acute inflammatory polyradiculoneuropathy (Guillain-Barré syndrome).

A case of acute inflammatory polyradioculoneuropathy (IPN, Guillain-Barré syndrome) not responding to oral corticosteroids but showing marked improvement on parenteral corticosteroids is reported. Oral prednisone 60 mg/day was begun on hospital admission and increased after one week to 100 mg/day; however, the patient's respiratory function, demonstrated by forced vital capacity, continued to deteriorate. Improvement was noted when the patient was switched to intravenous methyl-prednisolone 100 mg/day. Further attempts to use oral corticosteroids (including oral methyl-prednisolone 96 mg/day) resulted in deterioration of the patient's function.