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Incidence of Guillain-Barré syndrome during a nationwide oral poliovirus vaccine campaign

Clinical Neurosciences, Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland (Drs. Kinnunen and Juntunen)
Department of Neurology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland (Dr. Färkkilä)
Department of Virology, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland (Dr. Hovi)
National Board of Health, Helsinki, Finland (Dr. Weckström).

Concomitant with a nationwide oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) campaign in Finland in 1985, an unexpected rise in the number of patients hospitalized with the Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) occurred. An analysis based on hospital records covering a population of 1.17 million and 6 years revealed a significantly increased incidence of GBS coinciding with the OPV campaign. We carefully examined 10 cases with onset of GBS within 10 weeks after immunization. Only 4 patients could recall recent symptomatic infection, and we found no specific agent in these cases. Our study suggests that live-attenuated polioviruses may, like other infectious viruses, sometimes trigger the GBS.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Kinnunen, Clinical Neurosciences, Institute of Occupational Health, Topeliuksenkatu 41 aA, SF-00250 Helsinki, Finland.

Received November 17, 1988. Accepted for publication in final form February 28, 1989.

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