Causes And Risk Factors For Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Age And Gender

Individuals of certain ages and genders may be at a higher risk of developing Guillain-Barre syndrome than others. Most cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome develop in individuals between fifty and seventy-five years old, with the next most prevalent age group of incidence being those between fifteen and thirty-five years old. Infants and toddlers are at the lowest risk of developing Guillain-Barre syndrome. It is thought that the incidence of the underlying causes of Guillain-Barre syndrome determines the main age groups that are most commonly affected. Mononucleosis and certain types of hepatitis are more likely to develop in young adulthood, where campylobacter infections, other forms of hepatitis, and cancer are more likely to develop in late adulthood. Evidence indicates men are more at risk of developing Guillain-Barre syndrome than women, and it is thought that hormones play a key role in the uneven occurrence of Guillain-Barre syndrome between genders. The prevalence of Guillain-Barre syndrome decreases when a female is pregnant and increases in the six months after giving birth.