OBJECTIVES: Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare, rapidly progressing disease due to inflammation of the nerves (polyneuritis) and leading to muscle weakness, sometimes progressing to complete paralysis. There is a paucity of consistent estimates of GBS incidence to guide healthcare decision-making. Previously reported incidence rates of GBS were in the range of 0.8–1.9 (median 1.1) cases per 100,000 person-years. In the absence of recent literature reviews, this targeted literature review was conducted to assess the incidence of GBS in Europe over the past decade.

METHODS: MEDLINE® database was searched to identify studies reporting epidemiological data for GBS in adults and children, published in English language from 2011 to present. Studies reporting data on GBS incidence (including subgroups for age and gender) were included.

RESULTS: Twenty-four studies across 14 European countries were included. Most of the included studies had a large sample size including the entire region or country-wide population. The majority (71%) of the studies were retrospective involving medical records reviews or registry analyses, the remaining were either prospective (25%) or cross sectional (4%). The study period ranged from 1980 to 2020. Out of 24 studies, 19 studies reported annual incidence per 100,000 person-years. Overall, the mean annual incidence rate varied between 1.0–3.0 per 100,000 person-years in adults, and between 0.5–1.1 per 100,000 person-years in children (0–9 years). The incidence rates of GBS increased with increasing age and were higher among males than females. Among the European countries, Italy reported the highest annual incidence rate (3.0 per 100,000 person-years) followed by Norway (2.7 per 100,000 person-years).

CONCLUSIONS: This review provided an estimate of GBS incidence in adults and children in Europe over the last 10 years. An increase in the annual incidence rate was observed in few European countries compared with previously published reviews.