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Maternal and newborn outcomes in pregnancies complicated by Guillain-Barré syndrome

  • Samantha Taylor , Nicholas Czuzoj-Shulman , Andrea R. Spence and Haim A. Abenhaim EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: August 20, 2024
Journal of Perinatal Medicine
From the journal Journal of Perinatal Medicine Volume 52 Issue 8

Abstract

Objectives

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare autoimmune disorder that affects the peripheral nervous system. The purpose of our study was to evaluate maternal and fetal/neonatal outcomes among pregnancies complicated by GBS.

Methods

We performed a retrospective cohort study using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project – National Inpatient Sample from the United States. ICD-9 codes were used to identify all pregnant women who delivered between 1999 and 2015 and had a diagnosis of GBS. The remaining women without GBS who delivered during that time period constituted the comparison group. The associations between maternal GBS and obstetrical and fetal/neonatal outcomes were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression, while adjusting for the confounding effects of maternal characteristics.

Results

Of 13,792,544 births included in our study, 291 were to women with GBS, for an overall incidence of 2.1/100,000 births. A steady increase in maternal GBS was observed over the study period (from 1.26 to 3.8/100,000 births, p=0.02). Further, women with GBS were more likely to have pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia, OR 1.69 (95 % CI 1.06–2.69), sepsis, 9.30 (2.33–37.17), postpartum hemorrhage, 1.83 (1.07–3.14), and to require a transfusion, 4.39 (2.39–8.05). They were also at greater risk of caesarean delivery, 2.07 (1.58–2.72) and increased length of hospital stay, 4.48 (3.00–6.69). Newborns of women with GBS were more likely to be growth restricted, 2.50 (1.48–4.23).

Conclusions

GBS in pregnancy is associated with maternal and newborn adverse outcomes. These patients would benefit from close follow-up throughout their pregnancy and in the postpartum period.

Keywords: acute infective polyneuritis; Guillain-Barré syndrome; maternal outcomes; neonatal outcomes; pregnancy
Corresponding author: Haim A Abenhaim, MD MPH, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, 3755 Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montreal, Quebec, H3T 1E2, Canada, E-mail:

  1. Research ethics: The local Institutional Review Board deemed the study exempt from review.

  2. Informed consent: Not applicable.

  3. Author contributions: The authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  4. Competing interests: The authors state no conflict of interest.

  5. Research funding: None declared.

  6. Data availability: Not applicable.

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Supplementary Material

This article contains supplementary material (https://doi.org/10.1515/jpm-2023-0310).

Received: 2023-07-27
Accepted: 2024-08-03
Published Online: 2024-08-20
Published in Print: 2024-10-28

© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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https://doi.org/10.1515/jpm-2023-0310
Keywords for this article
acute infective polyneuritis; Guillain-Barré syndrome; maternal outcomes; neonatal outcomes; pregnancy

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Review
  3. Chorioamnionitis and respiratory outcomes in prematurely born children: a systematic review and meta analysis
  4. Opinion Paper
  5. Non-binary patients in ART: new challenges and considerations
  6. Corner of Academy
  7. KANET evaluation in patients with SARS-CoV-2
  8. Original Articles – Obstetrics
  9. Socioeconomic status as a risk factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant women
  10. Social vulnerability and prenatal diagnosis
  11. Perinatal outcomes in pregnant women with ITP: a single tertiary center experience
  12. Ability of an obstetric hemorrhage risk assessment tool to predict quantitative peripartum blood loss
  13. Sensitive detection of hemodynamic changes after fetoscopic laser photocoagulation by assessing intraventricular pressure difference in fetuses with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome
  14. Prevalence of restless legs syndrome during pregnancy and postpartum period
  15. Does atenolol use during pregnancy cause small for gestational age neonates? A meta-analysis
  16. Uterine isthmic tourniquet left in situ as a new approach for placenta previa-accreta surgery: a comparative study
  17. Maternal and newborn outcomes in pregnancies complicated by Guillain-Barré syndrome
  18. Original Articles – Fetus
  19. A customised fetal growth and birthweight standard for Qatar: a population-based cohort study
  20. Molecular analysis of 31 cases with fetal skeletal dysplasia
  21. Short Communication
  22. Current practice of ultrasound in the management of postpartum hemorrhage: a secondary analysis of a national survey
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