Guillain Barré syndrome—Incidence and clinical course in Southern Rogaland, Norway

•Incidence of GBS varied between 2.28–3.19/100 000, equally distributed between men and women during two years.•The majority of patients with GBS has a mild form with good clinical prognosis within three months.•Improvement on self-assessed health items was slower and remained lower than expected after one year.

ObjectiveTo establish the incidence and clinical course of Guillain Barré syndrome (GBS) in a well-defined geographical area.Patients and methodsAll patients older than 16 years of age diagnosed with GBS were prospectively invited to join a follow-up study for two years.ResultsSeventeen patients were diagnosed with GBS; an incidence rate of 2.28/100 000 in 2006/2007, and 3.19/100 000 in 2007/2008 with an equal gender distribution.Eleven patients accepted follow up, and more than 50% had milder forms of GBS with preserved walking ability and a Hughes score ≤2. None required assisted ventilation in this period, and only one patient had a MRC score <40. Three patients were simultaneously diagnosed with SIADH. Nine patients received IvIg treatment and clinical improvement measured by MRC and INCAT was seen during the first three months, but the patients subjective perceptions of health and symptoms measured using VAS, FSS, and SF-36 were reduced the first 12 months after diagnosis.ConclusionIncidence of GBS in a well-defined area varied between 2.28–3.19/100 000, and more than 50% of patients were mildly affected. Despite a good clinical recovery after three months and subsequent improvement on self-assessed health items, patients with GBS rated their health lower than expected after one year.