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Guillain–Barré syndrome in low-income and middle-income countries: challenges and prospects

Nature Reviews Neurology, March 1, 2021

Nowshin Papri, Zhahirul Islam, Sonja E. Leonhard, Quazi D. Mohammad, Hubert P. Endtz, Bart C. Jacobs

Key points

The considerable regional variation evident in the epidemiology, subtypes and management of Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) can be explained by geography, population demographics, environmental and economic factors.
Poor hygiene and sanitation along with frequent exposure to pathogens render populations in low-income and middle-income countries (LMIC) prone to outbreaks of infectious diseases that can trigger GBS.
High rates of adverse outcomes and mortality in LMIC can be explained by insufficient health-care infrastructure leading to diagnostic delays and lack of available and affordable treatment.
Owing to differences in disease severity, clinical presentation and patient management between high-income countries (HIC) and LMIC, existing models to predict the outcome of GBS must be validated for LMIC.
New and low-cost treatment strategies for GBS need to be developed along with improved access to integrative rehabilitation services in LMIC.