Title: | Decreased incidence of Guillain-Barré syndrome during the COVID-19 pandemic : a retrospective population-based study |
Author: |
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Date: | 2023-03 |
Language: | English |
Scope: | 6 |
Department: | Faculty of Medicine Internal Medicine and Emergency Services |
Series: | Neuroepidemiology; 57(1) |
ISSN: | 0251-5350 |
DOI: | 10.1159/000527726 |
Subject: | Taugasjúkdómafræði; COVID-19; Guillain-Barr syndrome; Incidence; Population-based studies; Vaccine; Pandemics; Humans; SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19/epidemiology; COVID-19 Vaccines; Guillain-Barre Syndrome/epidemiology; Influenza Vaccines; Retrospective Studies; Neurology (clinical); Epidemiology |
URI: | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/4182 |
Citation:Hafsteinsdóttir , B , Dalemo , E , Elíasdóttir , Ó , Ólafsson , E & Axelsson , M 2023 , ' Decreased incidence of Guillain-Barré syndrome during the COVID-19 pandemic : a retrospective population-based study ' , Neuroepidemiology , vol. 57 , no. 1 , pp. 1-6 . https://doi.org/10.1159/000527726
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Abstract:Background: Guillain-Barré syndrome is an immune-mediated acute inflammatory polyneuropathy that is associated with various triggers, including certain infections and vaccines. It has been suggested that both SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination may be triggering factors for Guillain-Barré syndrome, but evidence remains equivocal. Here, we conducted a population-based incidence study of Guillain-Barré syndrome spanning the 3 years immediately prior to and the 2 years during the pandemic. Methods: Cases were identified by searching a regional diagnostic database for the ICD-10 code for Guillain-Barré syndrome. Individuals who fulfilled the Brighton criteria for Guillain-Barré syndrome were included. Information on clinical presentation, laboratory values, and vaccination status were retrieved from medical records. We calculated the incidence immediately prior to and during the pandemic. Results: The Guillain-Barré syndrome incidence rate was 1.35/100,000 person-years for the pre-pandemic period and 0.66/100,000 person-years for the pandemic period (incidence rate ratio: 0.49; p = 0.003). Three cases were temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and 1 case each to the AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines. Conclusions: Our results show that the incidence of Guillain-Barré syndrome decreased during the pandemic. This is most likely due to decreased prevalence of triggering infections due to social restrictions. Our findings do not support a causal relationship between Guillain-Barré syndrome and COVID-19.
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Description:The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.
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