Incidence of Guillain–Barré Syndrome in Chile: A Population-Based Study Between 2013 and 2022

Abstract

Background and Aims

Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) is the leading cause of acute flaccid paralysis. A Chilean study for 2001–2012 reported an age-standardized incidence of 2.10 per 100 000. We updated nationwide GBS incidence for 2013–2022 by sex, age, and macrozone.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective, population-based analysis of the Chilean Department of Statistics and Health Information (DEIS) hospital-discharge database. Cases were identified with the ICD-10 code G61.0 and deduplicated. Incidence rates (IRs) per 100 000, using official mid-year populations, were age-standardized to the World Health Organization standard and stratified by sex, 10-year age groups, and five macrozones.

Results

We identified 5096 discharges. The period crude IR was 2.73, and the age-standardized IR was 2.60 per 100 000. Annual standardized IRs ranged from 3.15 (2013) to 2.03 (2020). Men comprised 58.6% of cases; period IRs were 3.25 in males versus 2.34 in females. Age-specific IRs rose from 2.47 at 0–9 years to 5.76 at 70–79, then declined (3.63 at 80–89; 1.04 at ≥ 90). Regionally, IRs were lowest in the Far North (1.86) and North (2.26), intermediate in the Central zone (2.51), and highest in the South (4.55) and Far South (4.86).

Interpretation

In 2013–2022, Chile's GBS incidence remained high by international standards and higher than in 2001–2012, with persistent male predominance, a peak among older adults, and a southward gradient. These updated background rates inform service planning, surveillance, and vaccine-safety assessment, and support integrated epidemiologic–microbiologic studies across macrozones.