Acute polyradiculitis (Guillain-Barré syndrome): an epidemiological study of 156 cases observed in Beijing

One hundred fifty-six patients with acute polyradiculoneuritis (Guillain-Barré syndrome, GBS) were admitted to the Neurology Service of the Capital Hospital, Beijing, from 1949 through 1975. There were 105 male and 51 female patients ranging in age from 3 1/2 to 80 years, 118 (75.6%) being below 30 years. Sixty-eight patients were inhabitants of the urban district while 88 were from rural areas. Cases of GBS were observed throughout the year, but 107 patients (68.6%) had their disease onset from July through October. As judged from the seasonal and district predilections in this series, enteric infections may be an important predisposing factor for cases with onset during the summer and fall, particularly in the countryside.