Health-related quality of life in Guillain-Barré syndrome patients: a systematic review

Abstract

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) encompasses a broad spectrum of health-related quality of life (HRQL) determinants, including mobility, fatigue, pain, and depression. We systematically reviewed the literature on functional outcome domains in which GBS patients experience limitations in the short and long terms and evaluated determinants of HRQL in GBS patients. MEDLINE and EMBASE were systematically searched by two independent reviewers for articles covering HRQL data of GBS patients. Of 730 abstracts screened, 17 articles covering data of 14 studies matched the selection criteria. The included articles showed that many GBS patients experienced physical limitations, even years after the acute phase of the disease, while results were inconsistent for perceived levels of pain, fatigue, and general mental well-being. Only three papers covered HRQL assessments at more than one time point, generally showing large improvements in HRQL in the first year after GBS onset, but not thereafter. We appraised the methodological quality of included studies using a 13-item checklist; none of the articles fulfilled all items and only seven articles presented data on correlations between HRQL and determinants. In conclusion, the majority of studies on HRQL in GBS patients are cross-sectional and of low methodological quality. This paper provides guidance for much needed high-quality studies on patterns of patient-perceived recovery after GBS onset.

Keywords: Guillain-Barré syndrome; quality of life; systematic review.