[Clinical features of neuropathies in a group of patients associated with anti-GalNAc-GD1a antibody].

To clarify the clinical features of patients with anti-GalNAc-GD1a antibody, we retrospectively investigated which conditions were associated with anti-GalNAc-GD1a antibody in a large number of patients. Sixty-four out of 1,713 patients had anti-GalNAc-GD1a IgG antibody. Fifty-seven (89%) were diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) or atypical GBS with preserved deep tendon reflexes. These patients were characterized by young man, antecedent diarrhea, distal-dominant limb weakness, and absence of cranial nerve impairment and sensory disturbance. Some of sera from patients had anti-GM1, anti-GM1b, and anti-GD1a IgG antibodies associated with axonal GBS. Our study suggests that the anti-GalNAc-GD1a antibody testing is useful for supporting the diagnosis of GBS. In addition, fine specificity of the antibody also was clarified.