title: Assessment of Guillain-Barré 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 70-79 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.
authors.affiliation: National Immunization Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA.
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Prevots
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Sutter
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003133:Commission on Professional and Hospital Activities; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009309:National Center for Health Statistics, U.S.; D011129:Polyradiculoneuropathy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology