TITLE:
Type 1 Respiratory Failure in Pharyngeal-Cervical-Brachial Guillain-Barré Syndrome: A Case Report from Tanzania
AUTHORS:
Theresia Lutufyo, Venance Kahindi, Sarah Matuja
KEYWORDS:
Pharyngeal-Cervical-Brachial Variant, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, Respiratory Failure, Case-Report
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Modern Neurosurgery,
Vol.16 No.1,
December
29,
2025
ABSTRACT: The Pharyngeal-Cervical-Brachial (PCB) variant of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is extremely uncommon. It is characterized by facial diplegia, bulbar symptoms, and rapidly worsening oropharyngeal and cervicobrachial paralysis of the upper extremities. Serial nerve conduction studies suggest that PCB represents a localized subtype of Guillain-Barré syndrome characterized by axonal rather than demyelinating neuropathy. Given that early detection and treatment are essential to preventing fatal bulbar weakness, it should be suspected in any case with acute-onset flaccid symmetrical weakness of the upper extremities. Herein, we report a case of a middle-aged woman who presented with a pharyngeal-cervical-brachial variant of GBS.