A Multicentric Prospective Incidence Study of Guillain-Barré Syndrome in Italy. The ITANG Study.
BACKGROUND
To assess Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) incidence we relied on the Italian Network for the study of GBS (ITANG) established in 2010 in 7 Italian regions to analyse the association between influenza vaccination and GBS.


METHODS
All individuals aged ≥18 years, presenting with clinical manifestations that suggested GBS according to the universally accepted Asbury's diagnostic criteria (1990) were prospectively notified to a centralised database by ITANG neurologists over the period October 1, 2010-September 30, 2011. Through a telephone survey, 9 trained interviewers followed up the cases to diagnosis and then for 1 year since hospital discharge. Validation of case reporting was performed with the support of administrative data in 5 regions.


RESULTS
We found 365 cases fulfilling the definition for GBS or one of its variants over 19,846,068 population ≥18 years of age, yielding an annual incidence rate of 1.84 per 100,000 (95% CI 1.65-2.03), 2.30 (95% CI 1.99-2.60) in men and 1.41 (95% CI 1.18-1.64) in women. A highly significant peak of incidence was observed in February 2011 as compared to reference month (September 2011, rate ratio 3.3:1, p < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
In Italy, GBS incidence was among the highest reported in Europe and higher than previously observed in Italian studies.
Neurology Unit, Policlinico Borgo Roma, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, Verona, Italy.
Maria Donata
MD
Benedetti
Maura
M
Pugliatti
Roberto
R
D'Alessandro
Ettore
E
Beghi
Adriano
A
Chiò
Giancarlo
G
Logroscino
Graziella
G
Filippini
Francesca
F
Galeotti
Marco
M
Massari
Carmela
C
Santuccio
Roberto
R
Raschetti
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult