Basic of incidence of Guillain-Barre syndrome in local population in 3 cities of Guangdong, 2008-2010

Objective To understand the basic incidence, epidemiological characteristics and causes of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) among the local population in 3 cities of Guangdong, 2008-2010 and provide the scientific evidence for the further research on GBS. Methods Demographic information and immunization data in the 3 cities from 2008 to 2010 were collected and the incidence data of GBS during this period were collected through hospital information system and manual way to conduct descriptive epidemiological analysis. Results During this period, 183 hospitals were surveyed, 602 GBS cases were diagnosed in 4 928 425 hospitalized patients, in which 231 cases were local residents. GBS cases were reported all the year round, but more cases occurred during January-June. The estimated annual incidence was 3.41/1 000 000 in local residents, the incidence in 2008 was highest (4.02/1 000 000), the estimated age specific incidence in age group 0-4 years was highest (5.77/1 000 000). The estimated incidence was higher in males (4.36/1 000 000) than in females (2.38/1 000 000). The cases were mainly distributed in the retired and children outside child care settings. Three cases received immunizations 2 months before onset (0.11/1 million doses) of epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis vaccine (0.41/1 million doses), polio vaccine (0.30/1 million doses) and measles vaccine (0.26/1 million doses). Conclusion The estimated GBS incidence among the local residents in 3 cities of Guangdong was lower than the reported in other literature (0.6-1.9/lakh). The estimated incidence was higher in males than in females and the estimated incidence was highest in age group 0-4 years. The estimated incidence in people with immunization histories was lower than that in local residents. Vaccination does not increase the risk of GBS.