No abstract

Background: The 6-minutes walking test (6WT) is the ideal submaximal test (Rev Med Chile 2012; 140: 1014-1021.

The Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) incidence rate (IR) varies between 0.16 and 3.00 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Little data exist on the epidemiology of GBS in Latin American countries. Our objective was to describe GBS epidemiology based on a national database in a Latin American country and to contribute to the global map of GBS epidemiology. This was a retrospective study that included all reported GBS cases in Chile between 2001 and 2012. Gender, age, seasonal occurrence, and geographical distribution were analyzed. A total of 4,158 GBS cases were identified from 19,513,655 registries. The mean age was 37 ± 24 years, and 59% of patients were male (male to female ratio of 1.5 : 1). Gender IR was 2.53/100,000 for males and 1.68/100,000 for females. The overall standardized IR was 2.1/100,000, although this varied between 1.61/100,000 (2001) and 2.35/100,000 (2010). The seasonal distribution was as follows: autumn 22%; winter 25%; spring 27%; and summer 26%. The geographical IR were as follows: far North 1.49/100,000; North 1.94/100,000; Central 1.97/100,000; South 3.18/100,000; and far South 2.78/100,000. The reported IR of GBS in Chile was similar to other studies based on national databases. In Chile, IR was greater in men and in the south.

We read with interest the article by Koh and Hoenig 1 published in a recent issue describing the challenge for the rehabilitation community with respect to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Despite efforts, as of April 4, 2020, a total of 1,051,635 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in 205 countries and territories. 2 Early epidemiological reports showed that 8.2% (95% confidence interval, 7.07-9.47) of the total cases presented with rapid and progressive respiratory failure, similar to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and that its treatment methods range from mechanical ventilation to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the most severe cases. 3 The literature states that patients recovering from ARDS frequently develop significant long-term morbidity related to extrapulmonary complications. 4 Thus, both young and old survivors have physical and psychological long-term sequelae affecting their quality of life for up to 5 years from the time of their critical illness. 3 The literature states that 48% of patients do not return to work 1 year postdischarge and that 32% of patients die within 5 years. 4 A recent meta-analysis suggests that arterial hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases increase the risk that COVID-19 patients will require critical care. 5 These findings indicate the target group on which rehabilitation should focus because physical and functional consequences are more pronounced when comorbidities are present. 4 Unfortunately, the first patients who are already being discharged will not be able to access rehabilitation because hospitals are being forced to convert all units and health teams into units of respiratory management for COVID-19 patients. Moreover, the number of COVID-19 cases continues to increase. Therefore, the rehabilitation of these patients will be included in the agenda of everyone who works in rehabilitation.The large number of patients with ARDS should lead the rehabilitation community to ask: what comes next? In addition to long-term sequelae, increased costs and use of health care services are important consequences of severe lung injury. Moreover, cumulative costs after hospitalization are more pronounced in older patients with comorbidities, the group most affected by Trained multidisciplinary rehabilitation teams must be prepared and able to implement best practices to improve the long-term functionality and quality of life of