Lower extremity pain in a three year old: manifestations of Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in children can present with early symptoms of limb and back pain that progress to acute generalized paralysis. Although the clinical course of this illness may be benign with spontaneous recovery, treatment is indicated for more severe cases. We report a three-year-old patient with GBS, whose symptoms were initially missed, and discuss the salient diagnostic and therapeutic issues for this disease.