Review

The Epidemiology of Guillain-Barré Syndrome Worldwide
A Systematic Literature Review
Anita McGrogan^a, Gemma C. Madle^b, Helen E. Seaman^b, Corinne S. de Vries<sup>a

a</sup>Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Bath, Bath, and
^bDepartment of Pharmacoepidemiology, Postgraduate Medical School, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK

Address of Corresponding Author

Neuroepidemiology 2009;32:150-163 (DOI: 10.1159/000184748)

  Key Words

• Epidemiology
• Guillain-Barré syndrome
• Incidence
• Systematic review

  Abstract

Background: This systematic literature review of the epidemiology of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) identifies trends in incidence rates by age, study method and cause of disease. It is important to have a reliable estimate of incidence to determine and investigate any changes: no previous systematic reviews of GBS have been found. Methods: After critical assessment of the reliability of the reported data, incidence rates were extracted from all relevant papers published between 1980 and 2008, identified through searches of Medline, Embase and Science Direct. Results: Sixty-three papers were included in this review; these studies were prospective, retrospective reviews of medical records or retrospective database studies. Ten studies reported on the incidence in children (0-15 years old), and found the annual incidence to be between 0.34 and 1.34/100,000. Most studies investigated populations in Europe and North America and reported similar annual incidence rates, i.e. between 0.84 and 1.91/100,000. A decrease in incidence over the time between the 1980s and 1990s was found. Up to 70% of cases of GBS were caused by antecedent infections. Conclusions: Our best estimate of the overall incidence of GBS was between 1.1/100,000/year and 1.8/100,000/year. The incidence of GBS increased with age after 50 years from 1.7/100,000/year to 3.3/100,000/year.

Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel

  Author Contacts

Anita McGrogan
Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology
University of Bath
Bath BA2 7AY (UK)
Tel. +44 1225 384 228, Fax +44 1225 386 114, E-Mail a.mcgrogan@bath.ac.uk

  Article Information

Received: August 2, 2008
Accepted: September 24, 2008
Published online: December 17, 2008
Number of Print Pages : 14
Number of Figures : 1, Number of Tables : 2, Number of References : 74