THE GUILLAIN-BARRE-SYNDROME (GBS) - IMPLEMENTATION OF A REGISTER OF THE DISEASE ON A NATIONWIDE BASIS

A register of the Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) has been started in Lo mbardy on February 1 1994, aiming at: 1) Making more correct estimates of the incidence and time and geographic trends of the disease; 2) Ha ving a target population which serves for reference for analytical and experimental epidemiological studies; 3) Contributing to the validati on of selected diagnostic procedures, 4) Implementing an audit of the diagnosis and treatment of GBS; 5) Collecting biochemical, hemathologi cal and electrophysiological data to be stored in ad-hoc data-banks. I n a pilot study undertaken during the period February 1 1994 - May 31 1995 a total of 109 patients (M 63; F 46) were recruited in 32 hospita ls. The crude annual incidence rare of GBS was 0.92 per 100,000 popula tion. Typical GBS held been diagnosed in 87% of cases, followed by aty pical GBS (7%). The disease could not be classified according to the a vailable criteria in 6% of cases. Electrophysiological features sugges ting demyelination were present in 29% of cases, axonopathy was docume nted in 14%, and mixed patterns in 34%. Plasma exchange was the sugges ted treatment in 51% of cases, followed by immunoglobulins (24%) and s teroids (23%).