title: Epidemiology of childhood Guillain-Barré syndrome as a cause of acute flaccid paralysis in Honduras: 1989-1999.
abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the incidence of acute flaccid paralysis in the pediatric population of Honduras over an 11-year period, determine what percentage of acute flaccid paralysis was Guillain-Barré syndrome, and identify the epidemiologic features of Guillain-Barré syndrome. There were 546 childhood cases of acute flaccid paralysis seen between January 1989 and December 1999 at the Hospital Escuela Materno-Infantil in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Of these cases with acute flaccid paralysis, 394 (72.2%) were diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome. Our incidence of Guillain-Barré syndrome in the Honduran pediatric population (1.37/100,000 per year) is higher than that shown in other studies. There was a significantly higher incidence of Guillain-Barré syndrome in younger children (ages 1-4 years), a significant preponderance of cases from rural areas, and a mild predominance in boys but a typical clinical presentation. The Honduran pediatric Guillain-Barré syndrome population had an increased mortality rate. Guillain-Barré syndrome has become the leading cause of childhood paralysis in Honduras. A better understanding of the population at highest risk and opportunities for earlier intervention with more effective therapeutic modalities may permit reducing the mortality among Honduran children who develop Guillain-Barré syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Neurology, Hospital Escuela Materno-Infantil, Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Central America.
authors.forename: Marco R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Molinero
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Varon
authors.forename: Kenton R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Holden
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Sladky
authors.forename: Ida B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Molina
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cleaves
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006721:Honduras / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009123:Muscle Hypotonia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D010243:Paralysis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013997:Time Factors