Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an immune-mediated disorder that affects the peripheral nerves, often leading to weakness, numbness, and paralysis. Although GBS does not induce immunosuppression, severe cases can render patients vulnerable to infection due to various complications. We present the case of a 70-year-old woman who developed GBS following a Mycoplasma infection. The patient\'s prolonged GBS symptoms led to an immunocompromised state, resulting in sepsis due to bacteremia caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis. Respiratory muscle paralysis necessitated intubation and mechanical ventilation, predisposing the patient to aspiration pneumonia. Prolonged hospitalization increases the risk of infection, as exemplified by catheter-related bloodstream infections and respiratory bacterial colonization. Although GBS does not inherently suppress immunity, its complications, such as musculoskeletal and respiratory failure, can mimic immunodeficiency, necessitating comprehensive management. A system-based approach should address neurological deficits and potential complications, emphasizing collaboration among medical specialties. This case highlights the importance of recognizing GBS-related challenges and adopting a holistic strategy for effective patient care.

Respiratory muscle paralysis is known as a very common complication of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). However, most research has focused on its later stages rather than its earlier stages, including the prognosis of patients with this condition, or factors that act as early predictors of risk. Therefore, our study aimed to identify early predictors of respiratory muscle paralysis in patients with GBS and determine the short-term prognosis of such patients. We recruited 455 GBS patients (age ≥ 18) who had been hospitalized in the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University between 2016 and 2021, retrospectively. We recorded clinical and laboratory data and used linear and logistic regression analysis to investigate the relationship between early clinical, examination results, and subsequent respiratory muscle paralysis. Among the 455 patients, 129 were assigned to a respiratory muscle paralysis group and 326 were assigned to a non-respiratory muscle paralysis group. Compared with the non-affected group, the time from onset to admission was shorter (p = 0.0003), and the Medical Research Council (MRC) score at admission and discharge was smaller in the affected group (p < 0.0001). Compared with the non-affected group, the affected group had higher Hughes and Erasmus GBS Respiratory Insufficiency Score (EGRIS) scores at admission and longer hospital stays (p < 0.0001). Patients in the affected group were more likely to have bulbar palsy and lung infections (p < 0.0001). To conclude, bulbar palsy, a higher EGRIS score and Hughes score at admission, a lower MRC score, and a shorter time between onset and admission, are all predictive risk factors for respiratory muscle paralysis in patients with GBS. An increase in any of these factors increases the risk of muscle paralysis. Patients with respiratory muscle paralysis have a poorer short-term prognosis than those without respiratory muscle paralysis. Therefore, we should attempt to identify patients with one or more of these characteristics in the early stages of admission, provide ventilation management, and administer IMV treatment if necessary.

Nemaline myopathy (NM) is a rare muscle disease with various clinical types. In some cases, NM can lead to type 2 respiratory failure and right heart failure. We herein report a patient with congenital NM with nebulin gene mutation who presented with acute right heart failure and type 2 respiratory failure due to respiratory muscle paralysis after upper respiratory tract infection, needing a permanent ventilator for assistance. However, the limb and trunk muscle strengths were within normal limits. This case showed that NM should be considered as a cause of right heart failure and type 2 respiratory failure.

Periodic paralysis (PP) is an uncommon inherited disorder causing recurrent episodes of muscle weakness, with an incidence of 0.001%. Normokalemic periodic paralysis (NormoKPP) as the rarest subtype of PP contains both familial and sporadic. Familial NormoKPP caused by the p.M1592V mutation of the skeletal muscle sodium channel alpha subunit (SCN4A) gene is rarely reported. Only three pedigrees of NormoKPP related to mutations in the SCN4A p.M1592V have been previously reported. We herein presented a family case of NormoKPP associated with the SCN4A p.M1592V mutation, in which respiratory muscle paralysis occurred in the proband while not in his children. Moreover, we conducted a thorough literature review. To our knowledge, this is the first report of respiratory muscle paralysis as a symptom of NormoKPP associated with mutation in the SCN4A p.M1592V.

Polymyxins B and E (colistin) exert a bactericidal effect on the gram-negative bacterial cell wall, causing permeability changes in the cytoplasmic membrane, leading to cell death. Their use was substantially decreased in clinical practice from the 1970s to 2000s due to their significant nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity compared to the newly introduced antibiotics. The increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria infections in this century has led to an upsurge in the use of these \"older\" drugs. Respiratory paralysis caused by neuromuscular blockage associated with the use of polymyxin B and E was reported mostly in literature published in the 1960s to 1970s with a few reports after 2000. In addition, such a reaction might be enhanced by the presence of other classes of drugs. We report a case of polymyxin B and E-induced apnea in a patient receiving \"muscle relaxants.\"