title: Clinical features of patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome at seven hospitals on the East Coast of Australia.
abstract: To document the clinical features of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in Australia, we performed a retrospective analysis of all patients admitted to several hospitals along the East Coast of Australia from 2000 to 2012. Using hospital records, we reviewed all patients with a diagnosis of GBS admitted to seven hospitals. From these, we report information of subjects who fulfilled standard diagnostic criteria. We excluded patients where inadequate information was available or who were under the age of 18. We report the features of 335 patients, in 228 of whom neurophysiological data were available. There were 168 cases of acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP), 17 of acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN), 4 of acute motor and sensory axonal neuropathy (AMSAN), and 35 of Miller-Fisher syndrome (MFS). The median age at onset was 52.5 years (18-89 years) with a male : female ratio of 1.61 : 1. Upper respiratory tract infections were the most frequently identified trigger (151 subjects, 44.5%). Most patients were severely affected, with 42.7% of subjects bedbound, and an additional 24% requiring ventilatory support. GBS affects adults of all ages and usually follows a severe clinical course. In contrast to other autoimmune diseases, males are more frequently affected. A wide variety of triggering factors leads to a relatively stereotypical clinical syndrome. The most common variant of GBS in Australia is AIDP. This study shows that the clinical features of GBS in Australia are similar to that previously reported and confirms the male predominance, increased incidence with age, and frequent evidence of peripheral nerve demyelination as features of GBS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, Australia; Centre of Clinical Research, University of Queensland, Herston Campus, Herston, Australia.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blum
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Reddel
authors.forename: Judy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Spies
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McCombe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012621:Seasons; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Australia; Guillain-Barré syndrome; acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy; epidemiology; seasonal variation