1. Albumin levels as a biomarker for second Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment in Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS)
- Author
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Shiri Savir, Moti Klein, Yoav Bichovsky, Andrey Ovanyan, Anna Shalman, Evgeni Brotfain, Alexander Zlotnik, Leonid Koyfman, Yana Mechnik Steen, and Nancy Boniel
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Serum albumin ,Assisted ventilation ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,hemic and lymphatic diseases ,Physiology (medical) ,Internal medicine ,Medicine ,Hypoalbuminemia ,Mechanical ventilation ,biology ,Guillain-Barre syndrome ,business.industry ,Albumin ,General Medicine ,medicine.disease ,Neurology ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,biology.protein ,Biomarker (medicine) ,Surgery ,Neurology (clinical) ,Antibody ,business ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
Background Patients with GBS may develop hypoalbuminemia following treatment with Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG), which is related to a poorer outcome. This report presents a patient with GBS and his clinical response to two courses of IVIG treatments in association with his albumin level. Case report: A previously healthy 21-year-old male was admitted to the GICU due to GBS with severity grade 5 (required assisted ventilation). IVIG treatment was initiated. Over the next two weeks there was no clinical improvement and Albumin level dropped from 4.5 gr/dL to a nadir of 2.3 gr/dL. A second course of IVIG was initiated. After initiation of the second course the patient’s albumin began rising to 3.0 gr/dL and a clinical improvement followed this rise. Subsequently, he was weaned from mechanical ventilation within a few days. Conclusions When considering a second course of IVIG treatment, serum albumin levels may be considered a biomarker as part of the decision algorithm.
- Published
- 2020