Assessment of Guillain-Barre Syndrome Mortality and Morbidity in the United States: Implications for Acute Flaccid Paralysis Surveillance

Abstract

To estimate age-specific incidences and assess the national morbidity and mortality burden for Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) in the United States, a national hospital discharge database compiled by the Commission on Professional and Hospital Activities (CPHA) and national death certificate data reported to the National Vital Statistics System were reviewed. During 1985–1991, 10,453 patients with GBS were discharged from CPHA-participating hospitals (estimated annual incidence, 3.0/100,000 population). The age-specific incidence of GBS increased with age from 1.5/100,000 in persons < 15 years old to 8.6/100,000 in persons 7–79 years old. The total estimated number of GBS-related deaths from 1985 through 1990 was 3770 (95% confidence interval, 3506–4034), for an average of 628 GBS deaths per year. These rates suggest that the proposed national surveillance system for acute flaccid paralysis should capture at a minimum the 796 GBS cases in persons < 15 years old. GBS remains a significant health burden among older adults in the United States, with a marked increase in risk after age 40.