{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.024955436720142603, 'fraction_numerical': 0.015151515151515152, 'mean_word_length': 4.758974358974359, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Do corticosteroids influence the disease course or mortality in Guillain-Barre' syndrome?

Forty-six patients of Guillain-Barre' Syndrome were randomized to receive either prednisolone (40 mg daily for 2 weeks and then tapered off) or placebo. The patients were followed up for 6 months and were assessed on an objective scale of disability. The improvement in mean disability grade was significantly better at 2 weeks and 4 weeks in the placebo group as compared to those who received corticosteroids. The difference persisted at 24 weeks, but was statistically insignificant. A greater proportion of patients in the placebo group had improved by at least 1 disability grade at all points of time. The group of patients treated with steroids took twice as long to improve by 1 disability grade as compared to those in the placebo group. At 6 months, 41.7% of the patients in the steroid group had recovered almost completely (good outcome) as compared to 54.5% of the patients is the placebo group. Corticosteroids, therefore, do not appear to benefit GBS patients, and may in fact, delay the recovery from acute illness.