Incidence of Guillain-Barré Syndrome in an Uruguayan population. A Prospective Cohort Study.

Chiesa, Mercedes; Decima, Rodrigo; Bertinat, Andrés; Poggi, Luciana; Hackembruch, Heber; Montenegro, Cecilia; Chiparelli, Hector; Vázquez, Cristina

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is an acute autoimmune peripheral inflammatory neuropathy and the most frequent cause of non-poliovirus acute flaccid paralysis worldwide. Background annual GBS incidence rates (IRs) in Latin America (LA) varies from 0.40 to 2.12/100,000 persons per year. We performed a prospective population-based epidemiological study to determine the incidence and clinical profile of GBS in the most densely populated regions in Uruguay. METHODS The incidence of GBS in the population living in Montevideo and Canelones was studied in the period between June 1st 2018, and May 31st 2020. Patients older than 16 years of age diagnosed with GBS were prospectively enrolled. RESULTS The mean global annual IR in the Uruguayan population was 1.7/100,000 persons (95% CI 1.25-2.25). The highest rate was observed in the 65-74 age group among men (5.25/100,000 per year) and in the 55-64 age group among women (2/100.000 per year). The mean age was 53.9 ± 19.5, years, without difference by sex (53.5 women, 54.5 men). The in-hospital mortality rate was 5.8%. A total of 51 patients were diagnosed with GBS : 42 (82 %) had typical GBS, 5 (10%) Miller-Fisher syndrome (MFS), 3 ( 7%) a bilateral facial nerve palsy, 1 patient had a GBS-MFS overlap (2.3%). INTERPRETATION This is the first population-based GBS incidence study in LA using a prospective design. Our IR can be a useful tool in establishing the background rate to examine future disease trends caused by the introduction of new viruses or vaccines in Uruguay.