Evaluation of 52 patients with Guillain Barré syndrome between 2015 and 2019 in Kocaeli, Turkey – An epidemiological study

Purpose. The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate the demographic, clinical and laboratory findings of patients with Guillain Barré syndrome (GBS), assess the clinical course, treatment outcomes and introduce GBS subgroups in Kocaeli, Turkey. Methods. Patients admitted to Kocaeli University Neurology Clinic between 2015 and 2019 with a preliminary diagnosis of autoimmune inflammatory acute polyneuropathy were included. Demographic, clinical, laboratory data have been collected and analyzed prospectively. Prognosis was evaluated according to the sum of total scores from GBS disability scoring and Medical Research Council (MRC) scoring guidelines and the need for mechanical ventilation. For statistical analysis, IBM SPSS 20.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) was used. Results. 52 GBS patients were evaluated. Mean age at initial presentation was 50.33±17.2. 57.7% of the patients reported a recent disease, most common one being upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). Progression of the disease was reported as ascending in 39 patients (75%) and descending in 13 (25%). Muscle weakness was symmetrical in 46 patients (88.4%) and asymmetrical in 6 (11.6%). 30 out of 52 patients (57.6%) had an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), 40 (76.9%) had leukocytosis, 11 (21.1%) had hyponatremia. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis of 39 patients revealed elevated protein levels in 32 of them (61.5%). 41 patients (78.8%) were treated with IVIG, 8 (15.4%) with plasmapheresis and IVIG, 2 patients (3.8%) were treated with plasmapheresis only. Conclusion. Our study revealed both consistent and contradicting findings to the literature that may lead further debate/research on the epidemiology of GBS