[Recent aspects of acute and chronic inflammatory polyneuropathies: Guillain-Barré syndrome and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy].

INTRODUCTION: In last decade many advances have occurred in knowledge of pathogenic, in the different types of clinic expression and in the therapy of both acute and chronic polyneuritis.

OBJECTIVE: To review the recent advances in the childhood expression of these disorders.

DEVELOPMENT AND CONCLUSIONS: Into the broad term of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) several types are considered: demyelinating, motor sensory axonal and motor axonal, and the Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS). Diagnostic criteria, clinical and neurophysiological are explained. The actual modes of treatment are reviewed, especially immunoglobulins and plasmapheresis. The chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is a rare disease in childhood but it is necessary think on it when a picture of demyelinating polyneuropathy that seems the more frequent Charcot Marie Tooth type 1 polyneuropathy, because the treatment of CIDP changes radically the prognosis. Last advances of pathogenic, diagnostic criteria and treatment with corticosteroids, immunoglobulins and plasmapheresis are reviewed.