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Clinical and epidemiological features of Guillain‐Barré syndrome in the Western Balkans
Author(s) -
Peric Stojan,
Milosevic Vuk,
Berisavac Ivana,
Stojiljkovic Olivera,
BeslacBumbasirevic Ljiljana,
Marjanovic Ivan,
Djuric Vanja,
Djordjevic Gordana,
Rajic Sonja,
Cvijanovic Milan,
Babic Milica,
Dominovic Aleksandra,
Vujovic Balsa,
Cukic Mirjana,
Petrovic Milutin,
Toncev Gordana,
Komatienad,
Martic Vesna,
Lavrnic Dragana
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of the peripheral nervous system
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1529-8027
pISSN - 1085-9489
DOI - 10.1111/jns.12096
Subject(s) - guillain barre syndrome , incidence (geometry) , medicine , epidemiology , pediatrics , population , cohort , demography , environmental health , physics , sociology , optics
The aim of this study was to define features of Guillain‐Barré syndrome in a large cohort of patients from three Western Balkans countries. Data from adult Guillain‐Barré syndrome ( GBS ) cases from 2009 to 2013 were retrospectively obtained from all tertiary health care centers. During the 5‐year period, 327 new cases of GBS were identified with a male to female ratio of 1.7 : 1. The most common GBS variants were demyelinating (65%) and axonal (12%). At nadir 45% of patients were chair‐bound, confined to bed, or required assisted ventilation, while 5% died. The crude incidence of GBS in Serbia and Montenegro was 0.93 per 100,000 population, and age‐adjusted incidence according to the world standard population was 0.86 per 100,000. Incidence was particularly high in 50‐ to 80‐year‐old men. Statistically significant seasonal variations of GBS were not observed. This study of patients with GBS in the Western Balkans allows us to prepare the health system better and to improve the management of patients. This study also opens opportunities for international collaboration and for taking part in the multinational studies on GBS .