Incidence and mortality rates of Guillain-Barré syndrome in Serbia.

BACKGROUND Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is an acute autoimmune polyradiculoneuropathy. A huge variety of GBS incidence and mortality rates has been noted across the world. AIMS The objective of the present multicentric study was to assess the incidence and mortality rates of GBS during a ten-year period in Serbia. METHODS We collected data of adult GBS patients who were hospitalized from 2009-2018 in all five tertiary healthcare centers in Serbia. The incidence rates per 100,000 inhabitants with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated and further corrected for the estimated number of patients hospitalized in secondary centers. Mortality rates were also assessed. GBS was considered severe if patients were not able to walk at least 10 meters without assistance. RESULTS 640 GBS patients were registered in tertiary centers in a ten-year period. The proportion of severe cases was 75% at nadir, and 52% on discharge. GBS incidence rate in Serbia was 1.1 per 100,000 inhabitants, and estimated incidence if patients from secondary centers included 1.2 per 100,000. Peak incidence was observed during the sixth decade of life. During the acute phase, 5.6% of GBS patients died, while overall 9.7% of them died during six-month period from disease onset. CONCLUSION This study contributes to our knowledge about GBS epidemiology. Results will allow us to improve the diagnosis and treatment of GBS patients in Serbia.