Guillain-Barré syndrome during the COVID-19 era: A nationwide study of hospitalized cases in South Korea

This study aimed to analyze the trends and characteristics of hospitalized Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) incidence and management in South Korea before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, assessing potential impacts of nonpharmaceutical interventions and shifts in public health dynamics. We conducted a retrospective analysis using data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database from 2013 to 2021, divided into prepandemic (2013-2019) and pandemic (2020-2021) periods. Incident GBS cases were identified based on the G61.0 code with hospital admissions. A total of 10,596 hospitalized patients with GBS were identified, with 8537 cases in the prepandemic period and 2059 during the pandemic. While the overall GBS incidence did not show a statistically significant change during the pandemic (P = .056), the mean age of patients increased. Notably, a significant rise in the proportion of patients receiving intravenous immunoglobulin was observed during the pandemic (P < .001), with older patients showing higher mean ages (P = .007). However, the proportion of patients requiring mechanical ventilation remained stable (P = .240). The findings suggest that while hospitalized GBS incidence remained stable amidst the pandemic and reduced respiratory infection admissions, the increase in intravenous immunoglobulin use points to more severe presentations, particularly among older patients. This highlights the multifactorial nature of GBS triggers and the need for continued investigation into how evolving public health measures and infectious disease patterns influence GBS incidence and management.