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Published on: November 9, 2017
Guillain-Barré syndrome in northwest Greece
S Markoula1, S Giannopoulos, I Sarmas
1Department of Neurology, University of Ioannina, Medical School, Ioannina, Greece. me01415@cc.uoi.gr
Insights
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in Greece showed seasonal clustering in spring, with males more affected. Most patients experienced excellent recovery, though some had neurological sequelae, and no deaths were reported.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare autoimmune disorder affecting the peripheral nervous system.
- Understanding the epidemiological and clinical features of GBS is crucial for public health management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the epidemiological and clinical-laboratory characteristics of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in northwest Greece.
- To analyze incidence rates, patient demographics, clinical presentation, and outcomes over a 9.5-year period.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study of all GBS patients admitted to a neurology inpatient service from January 1996 to May 2005.
- Comparison with previously published GBS case series.
Main Results:
- Forty-six GBS patients were hospitalized; the average crude incidence rate was 1.22 per 100,000 population annually.
- A significant spring seasonality was observed (52.17% of cases), with males being more susceptible.
- The most common symptom was dysesthetic numbness; elevated liver function tests were noted in 56.52% of patients, resolving within weeks. Excellent recovery was common, with no deaths.
Conclusions:
- GBS incidence and subtypes showed no significant change, but a distinct spring seasonality was confirmed.
- Transient elevation of transaminases occurred in over half of the patients with an undetermined cause.
- While 15.21% had significant neurological sequelae, the overall prognosis was favorable with no mortality.
Objectives:
We present the epidemiological and clinical-laboratory features of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in northwest Greece over a 9.5-year period.
Materials And Methods:
We studied all the patients with GBS who were admitted to our neurology inpatient service from January 1996 to May 2005 and compared them with previously published series.
Results:
Forty-six patients were hospitalized during this period. The average crude incidence rate was 1.22/100,000 populations per year, and males were more susceptible than females. There was a spring clustering, as 52.17% presented the syndrome during spring. The axonal type of GBS was recorded in 13.04% of the patients. The most frequent presenting symptom was dysesthetic numbness (52.17%). A large number of patients (56.52%) had up to three times the elevation of liver function values that resolved in a few weeks. Most patients had an excellent recovery and no deaths were recorded.
Conclusions:
In our series, there was no difference in the incidence rate and subtypes of GBS but there was a significant seasonality with spring clustering. A transient elevation of transaminases of undetermined etiology was noted in more than a half of our patients. Although seven patients (15.21%) had significant neurologic sequelae, no deaths occurred.
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