The mechanism responsible for hypertension in a patient with Guillain-Barré syndrome.

We report a case of hypertension associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome. In this case, the circadian variation of blood pressure was interrupted. Examination of neurohumoral factors revealed a hyperactive sympathetic nervous system and an increase in plasma renin activity. Clonidine, which acts centrally to inhibit sympathetic outflow, did not suppress serum norepinephrine or epinephrine. These observations suggest that autonomous hyperactivity of the efferent pathway of the sympathetic nervous system may cause the sustained hypertension throughout the day in this case.