Features of anxiety
| Variable | All patients | Non-ventilated | Ventilated |
|---|---|---|---|
| n (%) or mean±SD or median (IQR) | 110 | 85 | 25 |
| Pre-existing psychological disorders (%) | 7 (6) | 5 (5) | 2 (8) |
| Antipsychotic drugs (%) | 9 (8) | 6 (7) | 3 (12) |
| Chronic alcoholism (%) | 9 (8) | 5 (6) | 3 (12) |
| STAI-Y113 (from 20 to 80) | 47.4 (13.9) | 45.9 (13.9) | 52.7 (12.9) |
| GBS specific questionnaire (from 0 to 3) | |||
| I have the feeling that my symptoms are progressing | 1.9 | 1.6 | 2.5 |
| I have the feeling that my weakness is progressing | 1.8 | 1.6 | 2.5 |
| My pain is greater since admission | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| I fear remaining paralysed | 2.0 | 1.9 | 2.3 |
| Waiting for confirmation of GBS diagnosis | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.1 |
| Waiting to find out how GBS will progress | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.6 |
| Fear of intubation | 2.1 | 2.0 | 2.3 |
| Fear of dying | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.1 |
| Admission to ICU is stressful | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.9 |
| I am worried by all the devices around me | 0.8 | 0.7 | 1.0 |
| I feel breathless | 0.8 | 0.6 | 1.5 |
| I feel that I am suffocating | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.9 |
| I feel like I have a weight on my chest | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| I have pain when I breathe | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Total | 18.2 (8.4) | 17.1 (8.5) | 21.9 (6.8) |
| The most stressful sensation | |||
| Pain (%) | 30 (28) | 26 (31) | 4 (17) |
| Weakness (%) | 51 (47) | 43 (51) | 8 (33) |
| Uncertainty (%) | 25 (23) | 15 (18) | 10 (42) |
| Breathlessness (%) | 3 (3) | 1 (1) | 2 (8) |
| Anxiety-VAS (from 0 to 10) | 5 (3–8) | 5 (3–7) | 5 (4–8) |
| Dyspnoea-VAS (from 0 to 10) | 2 (0–4) | 1 (0–4) | 4 (0–5) |
GBS, Guillain-Barré syndrome; ICU, intensive care unit; STAI-Y1, State Trait Anxiety Inventory-Y1; VAS, visual analogical scale.