Increase in Guillain-Barré syndrome hospitalizations in Brazil: An ecological study

Abstract

Objective: to describe the demographic characteristics and the spatio-temporal dynamics of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) hospitalizations in Brazil between 2008 and 2017. Methods: this is an ecological study using data from the Hospital Information System of the Brazilian National Health System (SIH/SUS); GBS hospitalization rates were calculated and a control diagram was built; natural break ranges were used in the spatial analysis. Results: 15,512 GBS hospitalizations were recorded during the study period; between 2008-2014 there were 1,344 hospitalizations per year on average, in the following year (2015), 1,953 hospitalizations were registered, representing an increase of 45% in relation to the average of previous years; GBS hospitalizations reached an epidemic level in the Northeast region in 2015 and 2016. Conclusion: GBS hospitalizations increased with effect from 2015, following the introduction of chikungunya virus and the rapid spread of Zika virus in Brazil.