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Because steroids benefit some patients with demyelinating diseases that resemble Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), theoretically, patients with GBS might also respond to steroid therapy. However, two previous trials were too small to be definitive. This large multicenter study randomized 242 patients with GBS to either high-dose intravenous methylprednisolone (500 mg daily for 5 days) or placebo.
All patients were randomized within 15 days of the onset of symptoms. Outcome measures included improvement on disability rating scales, duration of mechanical ventilation, and the median time required to walk unaided. During the entire 48 weeks of follow-up, patients receiving steroids fared no better than placebo recipients. Although placebo recipien…