SSRN Electronic Journal | 2021
Incidence of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) in China: A National Population-Based Study
Abstract
Background: Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is the foremost acute autoimmune polyneuropathy in prevalence, however, the incidence of GBS across China is undetermined. We conducted the first nationwide study to extrapolate the incidence and mortality rate of GBS in all age groups at a national scale. \n \nMethods: This study analyzed patient metrics from the National Hospital Quality Monitoring System, a comprehensive administrative database of which incorporate all 1665 tertiary hospitals in mainland China. The “Medical Record Homepage” for all study patients encompass 346 distinct variables such as demographic characteristics, diagnoses, procedures, expenses, etc., which are systematically recorded from these hospitals by standard protocol. All GBS diagnoses adhered to the National Institute of Neurologic and Communicative Disorders and Stroke ( NINCDS ) diagnostic criteria and was identified with ICD-10 code (G 61 ·0).Findings From 2016 to 2019, 75,548 hospital admissions for 38,861 GBS patients were identified. The age- and sex-adjusted incidence per 100,000 person-years is 0·698 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0·691-0·705), with 0·212 (0·202-0·221) in children and 0·796 (0·788-0·804) in adults, respectively. The male-to-female ratio is 1·1.?2. Peak disease onset was detected in the 70–74 years age group with an incidence of 1·806/100, 000 (95% CI, 1·741-1·870). GBS dispersion patterns was recognized in southeast coastal areas who were more likely to develop GBS in the summer and autumn seasons (p< 0·05). Prevalent comorbidities are hypertension (28·8%) and stroke (14·3%). The median length of hospitalization was 13·0 (8·0–18·0) days with a median hospitalization cost of $2371·60 ($1281·80–5463·60). Covering 69·9% of study patients, the Basic Medical Insurance was the most prevalent payment mechanism. From 2016-2019, 434 adults and 5 children died, with a hospital mortality rate of 11·2 per 1,000 person-years. \n \nInterpretation: For the first time, we obtained a national incidence for GBS at 0·212 in children and 0·796 in adults per 100,000 in China. A differential spatiotemporal incidence is presented most southeast coastal areas in the summer and autumn seasons. \n \nFunding: National Science Foundation of China (91949208, 91642205, and 81830038); Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing. \n \nDeclaration of Interest: None to declare. \n \nEthical Approval: This study was approved by the Beijing Tiantan Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University, KY2020-013-01.