[Pain in the extremities as a symptom of the onset of Guillain-Barré syndrome in infancy].

Guillain-Barré syndrome's diagnosis is not usually difficult, but diagnostic difficulty occurs for the variable initial presentation. Pain may be predominant as an initial symptom. Pain may be the primary complaint in the week preceding the onset of paralysis in some children. When irritability and withdrawal from child's usual activities is predominant the clinician is first concerned about an encephalopathic process. When the primary problem at presentation is limb and back pain the pathology appears to be in the musculoskeletal rather than in neurological system. The awareness of this presentation of Guillain-Barré syndrome will eliminate delay in diagnosis.