Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Aug;97(2):356-360.
doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.15-0753. Epub 2017 Jul 19.

Guillain-Barré Syndrome and Chikungunya: Description of All Cases Diagnosed during the 2014 Outbreak in the French West Indies

Stephanie Balavoine  1 , Mathilde Pircher  2 , Bruno Hoen  3   4   1 , Cecile Herrmann-Storck  5 , Fatiha Najioullah  6 , Benjamin Madeux  7 , Aissatou Signate  8 , Ruddy Valentino  9 , Annie Lannuzel  10   11   4 , Magali Saint Louis  12 , Sylvie Cassadou  13 , André Cabié  3   4   2 , Kinda Schepers  1
Affiliations

Guillain-Barré Syndrome and Chikungunya: Description of All Cases Diagnosed during the 2014 Outbreak in the French West Indies

Stephanie Balavoine et al. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2017 Aug.

Abstract

The Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) has been reported as a possible complication of acute chikungunya infection. The chikungunya epidemics, which occurred in Martinique and Guadeloupe in 2014, affected 308,000 people in these two islands. GBS occurred during or immediately after acute chikungunya infection in 13 patients (10 men, three women; mean age: 61 years). Median time from acute chikungunya to GBS onset was 9 days. Twelve patients were treated with intravenous polyvalent immunoglobulins, nine of whom improved within 7 days. Five of 13 patients required mechanical ventilation. Two patients with severe GBS died. At 6 months of follow-up, 7/13 achieved a good functional recovery with no or minor residual symptoms. A 2-fold increase in incidence was observed during the year of chikungunya outbreak. This study supports prior reports suggesting that GBS may be a complication of chikungunya.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Cassadou S, Boucau S, Petit-Sinturel M, Huc P, Leparc-Goffart I, Ledrans M, 2014. Emergence of chikungunya fever on the French side of Saint Martin island, October to December 2013. Euro Surveill 19: 13. - PubMed
    1. Thiberville S-D, Moyen N, Dupuis-Maguiraga L, Nougairede A, Gould EA, Roques P, de Lamballerie X, 2013. Chikungunya fever: epidemiology, clinical syndrome, pathogenesis and therapy. Antiviral Res 99: 345–370. - PMC - PubMed
    1. van den Berg B, Walgaard C, Drenthen J, Fokke C, Jacobs BC, van Doorn PA, 2014. Guillain-Barre syndrome: pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. Nat Rev Neurol 10: 469–482. - PubMed
    1. van Doorn PA, Ruts L, Jacobs BC, 2008. Clinical features, pathogenesis, and treatment of Guillain-Barré syndrome. Lancet Neurol 7: 939–950. - PubMed
    1. Sahu R, Verma R, Jain A, Garg RK, Singh MK, Malhotra HS, Sharma PK, Parihar A, 2014. Neurologic complications in dengue virus infection: a prospective cohort study. Neurology 83: 1601–1609. - PubMed