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. 2016 Jun 1;94(6):1380-4.
doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.15-0070. Epub 2016 Mar 28.

Epidemiology of Guillain-Barré Syndrome in Aruba

Franciska S T Suryapranata  1 , C Wim Ang  2 , Luis L Chong  2 , Jean-Luc Murk  2 , Jaime Falconi  2 , Ralph M H G Huits  2
Affiliations

Epidemiology of Guillain-Barré Syndrome in Aruba

Franciska S T Suryapranata et al. Am J Trop Med Hyg. .

Abstract

The epidemiology of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in tropical areas is different compared with developed countries. We investigated the epidemiology of GBS on the Caribbean island of Aruba. Data were collected retrospectively from all 36 patients hospitalized with GBS between 2003 and 2011 in Aruba. We observed a seasonal distribution of GBS cases with a peak in February. The incidence rate (IR) fluctuated heavily between individual years. The overall IR was 3.93/100,000, which is higher than that observed in developed countries. Serological studies indicated a possible relation of GBS cases with dengue virus infections. We also observed a relation between the annual number of dengue cases in Aruba and the number of GBS cases in the same year. We conclude that the epidemiology of GBS in tropical areas can be different from temperate climate regions and that dengue may be a trigger for developing GBS.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Seasonal distribution of Guillain–Barré syndrome and dengue cases in Aruba.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Incidence rate (IR) of Guillain–Barré syndrome in Aruba from 2003 to 2011.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Anti-dengue and anti-Campylobacter IgG ratio in Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) cases versus controls.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Scatterplot of absolute number of Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) cases/year versus absolute number of laboratory confirmed cases of dengue/year from 2003 to 2011.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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