Incidence of Guillain-Barré syndrome in the world between 1985 and 2020: A systematic review

Virginia Kagure Wachira; Cecília Menezes Farinasso; Roberta Borges Silva; Henry Maia Peixoto; Maria Regina Fernandes de Oliveira

doi:10.1016/j.gloepi.2023.100098

Incidence of Guillain-Barré syndrome in the world between 1985 and 2020: A systematic review

Glob Epidemiol. 2023 Jan 11:5:100098. doi: 10.1016/j.gloepi.2023.100098. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Authors

Virginia Kagure Wachira¹, Cecília Menezes Farinasso², Roberta Borges Silva³, Henry Maia Peixoto^{1

4}, Maria Regina Fernandes de Oliveira^{1

4}

Affiliations

¹ Núcleo de Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil.
² Hospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz, São Paulo, Brazil.
³ Departamento de Ciência e Tecnologia, Ministério da Saúde, Brazil.
⁴ Instituto de Avaliação de Tecnologia em Saúde, Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Abstract

Introduction: Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy that affects the peripheral nervous system. The study aimed to describe the incidence of GBS in the world up to the year 2020.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted. Searches were done in four databases, PUBMED, EMBASE, EBSCO and Biblioteca virtual em Saude (BVS), and in grey literature and manual search in the reference lists of eligible studies.

Results: A total of 72 studies were included. The incidence of GBS among the cohort studies varied from 0.30 to 6.08 cases per 100.000 habitants and 0.42 to 6.58 cases per 100.000 person-years. Among the self-controlled studies, the risk incidence ranged from 0.072 to 1 case per 100.000 habitants and 1.73 to 4.30 cases per 100.000 person-years.

Conclusions: The reported incidence of GBS in the world among the studies included in the review is slightly higher than that reported in previous studies. The highest incidence rates were associated with public health events of international concern.

Keywords: Epidemiology; Guillain-Barre syndrome; Incidence; Systematic review.

Publication types

Review