Elevated serum levels of endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecules in Guillain-Barré syndrome and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy.

We determined the serum concentrations of the soluble form of endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule-1 (sELAM-1) in 25 patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome, 14 patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, 15 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, 15 patients with other polyneuropathies, 10 patients with acute stroke, and 12 healthy control subjects. The patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome in the acute stage had a higher sELAM-1 serum level compared with the control subjects (p < 0.001). In 7 of the 9 patients the elevated level returned to normal by 14 days after the onset of neurological symptoms. In addition, a significantly elevated serum level of sELAM-1 was found in patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (p < 0.01). These findings suggest a role for ELAM-1 in the inflammatory process of these disorders.