Project description:We conducted a multi-institutional study in Taiwan and a systematic review of the literature for reports of Guillain-Barré syndrome after coronavirus disease vaccination. This condition, mostly the classic form and the acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy subtype, has been reported in 39 cases and has occurred within 2 weeks of vaccine administration.
Project description:Background: Among the various side-effects of COVID-19 vaccinations, Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) has been found to have some interesting association with the vaccinations. This paper mainly focuses on exploring different associations between COVID-19 vaccination and GBS.Method: A systematic search was conducted on electronic databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane, and Embase for case reports published until July 2022. A total of 42 case reports involving 67 individuals from 16 different countries were documented. Reports were analyzed to identify presenting symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and pathophysiological mechanisms related to the relevant issues.Results: The studies included a diverse range of individuals with ages ranging from 13 to 87 years, with an average age of 51.66 years and a male predominance. The average time between vaccination and symptom onset was 12.67 days. Prominent clinical features observed in the case reports included back pain, facial diplegia, weakness, and paresthesia. Diagnostic studies primarily involved cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis and electromagnetic studies. A key diagnostic clue was the presence of albuminocytological dissociation in CSF. Available treatment options consisted of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), plasmapheresis, and steroids.Conclusion: This review highlights the diverse and clinically relevant associations between COVID-19 vaccination and GBS. The findings underscore the importance of conducting further studies to explore the causative links in this correlation and gain a better understanding of the relationship.
Project description:Due to SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic and its catastrophic impact on society, the FDA granted emergency use authorization for some vaccines. Possible rare side effects could not have been observed in this relatively short period. We are reporting an elderly lady with multiple comorbidities who presented with progressive lower limb weakness that started seven days after receiving the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The electrodiagnostic study showed demyelinating polyneuropathy with secondary axonal degeneration consistent with Guillain-Barré syndrome. We ruled out other possible causes for GBS, suggesting a postvaccine nature for her presentation. The patient received intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) for five days and gradually improved, which supports our initial diagnosis.
Project description:There have been increasing reports of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare but debilitating neurological disease, occurring post-COVID-19 vaccination. However, the outcomes and relationships between patient demographics and clinical outcomes of post-COVID-19 vaccination GBS remain unclear. To bridge this gap, our study investigates the outcomes and clinical factors associated with poorer GBS outcomes following COVID-19 vaccination. We conducted a review and pooled analysis of detailed data extracted from 57 published cases with the relevant search strategies and criteria. The groups compared included male versus female patients, 1st dose versus 2nd dose and early onset versus late onset of GBS. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to compare the vaccine type, clinical severity and post-treatment outcomes between these groups of patients. Our results highlight for the first time that females were significantly more likely to have severe clinical presentation and poorer outcomes compared to males. Additionally, viral vector vaccines were the predominant vaccine type administered in early-onset post-COVID-19-vaccination GBS and GBS occurring after the 1st vaccination dose. It was also shown that reported cases of post-vaccination GBS generally displayed a positive response to conventional treatment and had favourable post-treatment outcomes. Through this study, we have established important links and provided assuring evidence for treatment response and post-treatment outcomes of GBS occurring post-COVID-19 vaccination. While the COVID-19 vaccination brings about much greater benefits than risks, our findings provide further impetus for greater vigilance in certain patient groups and more studies to explore the mechanisms behind these links.
Project description:Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an inflammatory polyradiculoneuropathy associated with numerous viral infections. Recently, there have been many case reports describing the association between coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) and GBS, but much remains unknown about the strength of the association and the features of GBS in this setting. We reviewed 37 published cases of GBS associated with COVID-19 to summarize this information for clinicians and to determine whether a specific clinical or electrodiagnostic (EDx) pattern is emerging. The mean age (59 years), gender (65% male), and COVID-19 features appeared to reflect those of hospitalized COVID-19 patients early in the pandemic. The mean time from COVID-19 symptoms to GBS symptoms was 11 days. The clinical presentation and severity of these GBS cases was similar to those with non-COVID-19 GBS. The EDx pattern was considered demyelinating in approximately half of the cases. Cerebrospinal fluid, when assessed, demonstrated albuminocytologic dissociation in 76% of patients and was negative for severe acute respiratory distress syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in all cases. Serum antiganglioside antibodies were absent in 15 of 17 patients tested. Most patients were treated with a single course of intravenous immunoglobulin, and improvement was noted within 8 weeks in most cases. GBS-associated COVID-19 appears to be an uncommon condition with similar clinical and EDx patterns to GBS before the pandemic. Future studies should compare patients with COVID-19-associated GBS to those with contemporaneous non-COVID-19 GBS and determine whether the incidence of GBS is elevated in those with COVID-19.
Project description:SARS-CoV-2 causes Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), an infectious condition that can present none or one or more of these symptoms: fever, cough, headache, sore throat, loss of taste and smell, aches, fatigue and musculoskeletal pain. For the prevention of COVID-19, there are vaccines available including those developed by Pfizer, Moderna, Sinovac, Janssen, and AstraZeneca. Recent evidence has shown that some COVID-19-vaccinated individuals can occasionally develop as a potential side effect Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), a severe neurological autoimmune condition in which the immune response against the peripheral nerve system (PNS) can result in significant morbidity. GBS had been linked previously to several viral or bacterial infections, and the finding of GBS after vaccination with certain COVID-19, while rare, should alert medical practitioners for an early diagnosis and targeted treatment. Here we review five cases of GBS that developed in different countries after COVID-19 vaccination.
Project description:As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to progress, the medical community is rapidly trying to identify complications and patterns of disease to improve patient outcomes. In a recent systematic review, it has been reported that isolated cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) have occurred secondary to COVID-19 infection. GBS is defined as a rare, but potentially fatal, immune mediated disease of peripheral nerves and nerve roots that is usually triggered by infections. The incidence of GBS can therefore increase during outbreaks of infectious diseases, as was seen during the Zika virus epidemics in 2013 in French Polynesia and 2015 in Latin America. While several cases of GBS secondary to COVID-19 infection have been reported in Italy, only one case has been reported in the United States (US). The reported case in the US was a 54- year old male. We present a case of GBS secondary to a COVID-19 infection and believe this to be the first documented female case in the US and the second documented case in the US overall. The presented case aims to supplement the existing body of knowledge and to assist clinicians in managing complications of COVID-19.
Project description:Novel outbreak with coronavirus 2019 began since 31 December 2019. Coronaviruses can cause multiple systemic infections that respiratory complications are the most obvious symptoms. In this report, we describe the symptoms of Guillain Barre syndrome (GBS) in one infected patient with COVID-19, for the first time. We reported a 65-years- old male patient with complaints of acute progressive symmetric ascending quadriparesis. Two weeks prior to hospitalization, the patient suffered from cough, fever, and RT-PCR was reported positive for COVID-19 infection. The electrodiagnostic test showed that the patient is an AMSAN variant of GBS. COVID-19 stimulates inflammatory cells and produces various inflammatory cytokines and as a result, it creates immune-mediated processes. GBS is an immune-mediated disorder and molecular mimicry as a mechanism of autoimmune disorder plays an important role in creating it. It is unclear whether COVID-19 induces the production of antibodies against specific gangliosides. Further investigations should be conducted about the mechanism of GBS in patients with COVID-19, in the future.
Project description:IntroductionGuillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an immune-mediated peripheral neuropathy that was reported following meningococcus, polio, influenza and rabies vaccines. However, an association with the COVID-19 vaccine is yet to be established.Presentation of caseWe present the case of an elderly gentleman with no history of SARS-CoV-2 infection or any recent viral or bacterial illnesses who presented with GBS 20 days after the second dose of COVID-19 vaccination. The diagnosis was established based on physical examination, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis and electromyography (EMG).DiscussionDue to the occurrence of GBS after certain types of infections, molecular mimicry has become widely acceptable as the underlying pathophysiology. The reported cases of GBS following vaccination further supported this theory, however proving a causal relationship between vaccines and GBS on the molecular level remains a challenge.ConclusionsTo the best of our knowledge this is the first reported case in the state of Qatar. It is important to mention that more research is needed to establish an association between COVID-19 vaccine and GBS. In our opinion, the benefits of COIVID-19 vaccine largely outweigh its risks.