Guillain-Barré syndrome and other neurological manifestations possibly related to Zika virus infection in municipalities from Bahia, Brazil, 2015

Abstract

Objective:

to describe the reported cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) and other neurological manifestations with a history of dengue, chikungunya or Zika virus infections, in the Metropolitan Region of Salvador and in the municipality of Feira de Santana, Brazil.

Methods:

this is a descriptive study with data of an investigation conducted by the epidemiological surveillance from March to August 2015; to confirm the neurological manifestations, medical diagnosis records were considered, and to prior infection, clinical and laboratory criteria were used.

Results:

138 individuals were investigated, 57 reported infectious process up to 31 days before neurological symptoms - 30 possibly due to Zika, 13 to dengue, 8 to chikungunya and 6 were inconclusive -; GBS was the most frequent neurological condition (n=46), with predominance of male sex (n=32) and the median age was 44.

Conclusion:

most cases reported a clinical picture consistent with acute Zika virus disease, which preceded the occurrence of neurological symptoms.

Key words:
Guillain-Barré Syndrome; Neurological Manifestations; Zika Virus; Epidemiology, Descriptive