The challenge of diagnosing Guillain-Barre syndrome in patients with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit

Abstract

Various neurological complications have been described in COVID-19 patients, especially Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). The underlying mechanisms on the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and GBS remain unclear, but several hypotheses have been proposed. It seems that post-SARS-CoV-2 GBS shares many characteristics with classic post-infectious GBS; however, it may occur in sedated and intubated patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit for SARS-CoV-2 acute respiratory distress syndrome, which presents challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of GBS. In this study, we describe three cases of post-SARS-CoV-2 GBS that were hospitalized in the intensive care unit.

Keywords: Acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy; COVID-19; Guillain–Barre syndrome; Intensive care unit; Miller Fischer syndrome; SARS-CoV-2.